I’m at the Virginia Synod’s annual week-long spiritual formation event for high school youth, Kairos. I’m here with Robin Hudson, our Director of Family Ministries, and the youth we’ve brought are Erika, Zachary, Travis, Lorraine and Grant.
This really is a marvelous event. One hundred-sixty youth spend extended periods of time in the same small groups of eight youth and two adult leaders over the course of the week. It’s an opportunity for youth to deepen the sophistication of their faith and understanding of God. The adult small group leaders’ role is to ask the questions and to encourage the depth.
And it is exciting to see how the Spirit moves. For instance, Zachary and I were hanging out together, and he actually brought up the sermon I preached this past Sunday. (To read it, go to “Pastor” then “Sermons.”) In the sermon, I talked of the symbolism of water in the story from Mark: representing danger, chaos, the demonic.
Zachary said, “Yeah, but while I was listening to you, I was thinking about what water means in baptism!”
HOORAY! Zachary is learning to think broadly and deeply about the images of the faith!
