Before diving into today’s devotional I, Pat, want to take a moment to talk about the month of Digital Refreshes and the future of them.
First, I want to acknowledge and thank the many people who contributed to these posts. We had people from every aspect of service at camp share their reflections this month. We had full-time staff, summer team members, board members, and volunteers. We are a blessed community and all the more when we gather (even if just through digital means).
These Digital Refreshes started as an extension of our care for our staff during these complex times and a desire to speak deeply into our community on the regular. We had a goal of delivering a daily devotional every day in April and with the support of many people we reached that goal. Going forward we are prepared to keep going in that direction but will be scaling back slightly to accommodate for the energy and effort that needs to be poured into the coming summer. That said, the new schedule for our Digital Refreshes will be every Monday and Friday with an episode of our Leap of Faith Podcast coming out in the middle on Wednesdays.
I look forward to sharing in God’s word together for now and into the future. If you have any questions or are interested in contributing reach out to Pat at pat@miniyowe.com.
Today’s reflection comes from Cathy Faubert. Cathy is our Summer Camp Registrar and she diligently connects with families and campers as they register for the summer.
Today’s Reading: John 17:20-26
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
-John 17: 20-23
The new language of the world we live in
If you type in the words “self” or “social” into your phone chances are your auto-suggestion will bring up the words “isolation,” “distancing,” or “quarantine” as the next logical selection to complete your sentence. This is the new language of the world we live in. However, we need to remind ourselves that as children of God we were not created to be isolated or distanced from the Body of Christ.
We are not to speak the language of the world. In fact, when we speak the heavenly language of unity, Jesus says that the world will recognize that He is the Son of God and that He came in love to save them.
Are you feeling disconnected? Jesus has prayed for you
You may be feeling disconnected from your friends and family during the Covid 19 restrictions but the wonderful thing about the Body of Christ is that God made it possible for us to be connected, regardless of our location.
It was the prayer of Jesus that we would be brought into complete unity, that we would be one with the Father and the Son, through the Spirit. We are always connected and the heavenly language that connects us is prayer.
Are you feeling disconnected? Pray for others
I have been reading the letters of the apostle Paul to the churches and been reminded that the Body of Christ is connected in heart and spirit when we pray for one another.
Paul spent many years preaching the Gospel and planting churches and suddenly he finds himself in chains and unable to visit the people that he loves so much. Each of his letters begins with something he is thankful for in their relationship or in their spiritual growth and then he pours out his love and concern and desires for them through prayer. But he goes one step further he shares those prayers with them in the letters, they know that he is praying for them. They are connected in spirit, through the Holy Spirit and this connection encourages them to continue to fight the good fight and endure the hardships that they encounter daily.
Be the encouragement that someone needs today. Reach out to someone today. Let them know that you’re praying for them and write your prayer out so they know what you prayed for them. If you make this a daily routine, you will always be connected to the Body of Christ in a way that our current situation cannot shut down.
Cathy
Subscribe to get the Digital Refresh directly to your Email every day.
A Digital Refresh is a regular series for the staff at Mini-Yo-We.
When we gather together for worship and learn from God’s word we call it “Refresh.” Even though we aren’t at camp we can still gather together to share God’s word through a Digital Refresh.
For more resources check out our summer staff resource page.