ColaSalk2023 Friday

 

Friday Morning

We Belong

Matthew 22:37-40

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

We started our week reminding ourselves that we belong to God and making connections with each other and our home families. I pray that you have taken the time to do that. I pray that you learned more about yourself, each other and God in this week. The best way, as Christians, for us to love God is to love our neighbor. Today’s reading is called the greatest commandment. Jesus taught us this. John Wesley, the man who founded Methodism, gave us three rules: Do no harm, Do good, and attend to the ordinances of God. Sometimes the third rule is written as Stay in love with God, but I like ordinances because the word ordinances is a better reminder of what staying in love with God means. The ordinances are a prescribed ritual…in plain english ordinances are a list of things we do. The ordinances are found in Matthew 25:35-45 and are given to us by Jesus. Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger (thank you homeowners for welcoming us into your home!), clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit those in prison (literally and in their spirit). It’s interesting that in doing these acts, we are saying to the other you belong. You are important. You matter. It could just as easily be me and someday it might be. We belong to God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and to one another. 

Challenge or “Look for it moment”: Tonight at worship we have a special service including communion. You will have an opportunity to share a memory from the week if you want (it is not mandatory to speak). We invite you to find a symbol or token from your site to place up front. An object that means something to you from this week. Something you can take home with you to remind you that you belong. 

Prayer: Dear God, We belong to you. Help us today as we work and serve you. Amen.

Note to site leaders and adults: Just as you did on the first day, connect with each youth. Thank them, mention something specific they did over the week and remind them that they belong to God. 

ColaSalk2023 Thursday

 

Thursday Morning

We Belong…Together

James 2:8-9

You do well when you really fulfill the royal law found in scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself. But when you show favoritism, you are committing a sin, and by that same law you are exposed as a lawbreaker.

Yesterday we talked about loving our neighbor, the ones we love and are close to us. Maybe you thought of your site group or your friends at home. Today we are expanding the definition of neighbor to include those we might not choose to be friends with, those we might judge or exclude. Our neighbor includes folks you don’t like. James is writing against showing partiality to any particular group. Partiality, this means preference or better treatment for one group over another. Today we might say privilege. When we say we belong we are also declaring, saying, that everyone belongs. Not a bad reminder on Thursday, a day when we’re tired, we have a lot of work to do and maybe we sick of each other. Just kidding, each site group is amazing this year. Belonging is a good take away from Salkehatchie…everyone belongs. Everyone is our neighbor. How can you take this into your life? Into this next school year or work year? What does loving your neighbor look like in your own life? 

Challenge or “Look for it moment”: So, today’s challenge is how are you going to take the experience of Salkehatchie, the lessons we have learned about belonging and inclusion, home to your everyday normal life. 

Prayer: Dear God, We belong to you. Help us today as we work and serve you. Amen.

ColaSalk2023 Wednesday

 

Wednesday Morning

We Belong…Together

Galatians 5:13-14 and 22-25 13 

You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love. 14 All the Law has been fulfilled in a single statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.

 22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit.

In verses 13 and 14, Paul is saying to the Galatian church you are free from the burdens of the law, but not free from love. Love binds us and connects us. Love unites us with Christ and in our love for Christ we are called to love one another. We are called to love our neighbor. Jesus says if we love him (Jesus) then we must love our neighbor. We belong to one another, we belong together. When we love someone we do not have the freedom to sit idly by while they are harmed. If you exercise that freedom to do nothing, then you can no longer claim to love your neighbor who is being hurt. Not helping is saying to your neighbor, you don’t belong. Love motivates us to be helpers.    

So, how do we help? How do we become helpers? Thankfully, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who gives us fruits of Love, Joy, Kindness. Each of these fruits of the spirit are character attributes of a helper. Interestingly, the list of fruits follows a list of negative attributes that are the opposite of gifts: like hate, jealousy and losing your temper. These behaviors destroy communities, they make us forget we belong to one another. The fruits build up community. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are all character traits that strengthen and build up togetherness. These behaviors help us to belong to one another in peace. 

Challenge or “Look for it moment”: So, today’s challenge is to look again for opportunities to use the gifts of the spirit to connect with one another and remind ourselves that we belong together. 

Prayer: Dear God, We belong to you. Help us today as we work and serve you. Amen. 

Columbia Salkehatchie Tuesday

Tuesday Morning 

We Belong…because we are built together by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:18 and 22 NIV

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 

22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the self with its passions and its desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit.

Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus to remind them of their identity. Paul reminds them, and us, “Hey, you belong because of Jesus!” You have access to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit who is our helper, advocate and guide lives in you. The same Holy Spirit you may have sung about as fruits of the spirit in Vacation Bible School. The Holy Spirit that gives you: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). Today is our second day on site. We’ve begun the projects and we may have discovered some unexpected challenges. How could you ask for the help of the Holy Spirit today? Do you need patience? Kindness? Self-control? Or do you need to find joy because it’s hot and we have 4 more days to go? We have access to the gifts of the Holy Spirit simply because we believe in Jesus, what an amazing gift! 

Challenge or “Look for it a moment”: Ask the Holy Spirit for a gift today and notice when you receive it. If you wish, keep that memory in your mind and share it tonight with your group at site night!    

Prayer: Dear God, We belong to you. Help us today as we work and serve you. Amen. 

Columbia Salkehatchie 2023

 

Monday Morning

We Belong…to God

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “The Shema” (pronounced She-mah)

Israel, listen! Our God is the Lord! Only the Lord! Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol. Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.

Our theme this week is “We belong.” Belonging is defined as: “be rightly placed in a specified position.” Which is not literally in the right spot, although there are times God places us in the right place at the right time. Belonging is the deep knowledge that you are part of the group. When we talk this week about belonging, we are digging into why we belong and what we do with our belonging, which is to say how we respond to our belonging to God. Each of us know what it feels like to be left out and I hope each of us know what it feels like to be included. Belonging is being included and knowing your inclusion is just because of who you are, a child of God. The Shema is a traditional daily prayer of our Jewish siblings. It is a prayer Jesus recited as a faithful Jew. It is a prayer we can pray too. The Shema is a reminder of our love for God and God’s love for us. Listen, site team, listen! Listen, homeowner, listen! God is our Lord and we love God and God loves each of you. 

Challenge or “Look for it moment”: Today as we begin, look for ways to make sure everyone in the group feels like they belong, your teammates and home family. Look for ways that God is showing you that you belong to God. The physical work we are doing is important, but remember folks don’t always remember what you say or do. People remember how you treat them. You belong to God. You are loved.  

Prayer: Dear God, We belong to you. Help us today as we work and serve you. Amen.

Note to site leaders and adults: Model taking a moment to connect with each youth. Get to know them and remind them that they belong to God.