Salt, Light, & Youth
A guest blog from our Next Generation Pastor, Rebecca DeLucia
On the last Saturday of February, Central Youth had our 2nd annual One Day Youth Retreat. Over the course of the day we spent time playing games like cereal relay, Wario-Ware, life sized Candy Land, and the youth group classic, sardines. We also spent time with one another having lunch at the Atlantic Diner in town and having a blast at the Monmouth Squash and Swim Club in Sea Bright. These moments of relationship building whether they are in a pool or over a donut help create safe relationships and build trust.
We spent a lot of time learning together through Small Groups, Bible Studies, and retreat talks. We also spent time in worship and participated in The Lord’s Supper together.
This year’s theme was Salt & Light.
We talked about how in the beginning there was darkness and chaos but then there was light before the sun, moon, and stars there was light. (Genesis 1) Later Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” He is the light that brings us out of darkness and chaos.
Throughout the day we talked about different elements of salt. We heard about how salt creates thirst and read together the story of the Samaritan woman at the well, who for a slew of personal and cultural reasons should not have been talking to Jesus, is offered living water. (John 4) This shows us no matter where we have been, what we have done, or what chaos and darkness we live in, Jesus is offering to quench our thirst, he is offering us living water. We then had a great small group talking about the ways we try to quench our thirst with something other than God.
We looked together at the story in which Jesus interacts with two blind men who cry out for mercy. Jesus has compassion on them, healing them, and offering them new life. (Matthew 9) He brings them from darkness into the light – into a physical, relational, and spiritual light. We talked about how God sees us in our brokenness, in our sin, and in all the ways we try to quench our thirst with something other than him, and has compassion on us.
It is here that we talked about how salt is valuable. Each student, and each of us, are more valuable than we think. In fact, “we are wonderfully made” with a purpose and that purpose can be seen at the end of the story of the blind men in Matthew 9. After Jesus healed them it says, “so that they would follow him.”
The reason we are brought into the light is so that we would follow him.
Because we are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5) and salt leaves an impact! We are meant to leave an impact wherever we go, we are meant to be, “the light of the world.”
Grace & Peace,
Rebecca DeLucia
Next Generation Pastor