TLCxYTH December Update
Each month, Rajeev sends an update to youth families with news, updates, and recaps. Here’s his update for November.
Two Sundays ago, I asked students, "What is the coolest thing you've ever experienced?" I told them about the time my friends and I drove through the middle of the night to Anderson, SC to watch what was going to be the best solar eclipse you'll ever see. In 2018 we made a game-time decision on Sunday night at 8 PM to leave at midnight from Richmond, VA to South Carolina for a 6-hour drive to see the sun go behind the moon.
We got packed, drove, and set up camp in this large state park with thousands of other people who were doing the same thing. As it got closer to the moment of what is called "total darkness", clouds started rolling in. At first, we were ignoring it because we didn't want to accept the reality that we might not see the actual eclipse. Cut to 30 minutes away from the event, and the downpour started. Clouds and rain and wet socks were all we experienced, really. We still experienced darkness, but not the way we anticipated. It was still a surreal event, but like I said, not what I was expecting.
Advent is much like that for me. An expectation of something GREAT and then life, and work, and anxiety, and everything the world throws at my way takes that joy from me. It doesn't have to be this way, but how do we experience the gift of Advent while also dealing with the realities of life? In TLCxYTH, these last three weeks tried to answer this question through a series called "For All People."
We focused on two truths:
God is with us
Jesus is for all people
When we're overwhelmed with the holiday season, we can hold onto these two things. We made sure to remind students that just because we hold onto those truths, God doesn't just take them away, God is present with us through them. God protects us and gives us peace through these situations which I believe is a pretty neat gift. Secondly, Jesus is for all people...FULL STOP. If the shepherds were the first people to hear the good news, then there is no one on earth that this gift is not for.
Christmas is a messy season for many of us, but the good news of the gospel is that God is with us and Jesus is for all people. If God chose to enter humanity in a smelly manger, this tells us that there is no mess God isn't willing to enter into. That is what we focused on this month in TLCxYTH and I really believe students accepted these two truths in a really cool and curious way.
There's a third truth in there I didn't mention above. Like the shepherds who were the last people on earth anyone would think to be invited to see the baby Jesus, we too are invited. We're not just invited to come to youth group or church every week, but we are invited into the family of God.
Being here doesn’t mean you have to act a certain way, or believe what everyone else believes, or do anything specific to belong. When students come to our room, we want them to be themselves. They're invited just the way they are. I hope you’ll continue to show up! We’d love to have your students join us each and every week. Why? Because they're invited! 2024 is going to be epic, and I can't wait to see you there!
All the best, and some more.
Happy Holidays!
- Rajeev
