by 4G Core Team member Emily Dalen
Each summer my family attends family camp in Colorado. Our good friend, Charlie, often shares this song by Carrie Newcomer during an evening campfire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1WrNisRhDU
I love the last part of the chorus which says, "There’s a festival of friends And we’ll take up where we left off When we all meet again."
Whenever I hear this song, I think of gathering on the mountain with people that have become family. We pick up with life like we haven't been separated. We listen to each other as we tell stories of joys and sorrows. We pray with, and for each other, and are strengthened for the upcoming year until we meet on that mountain again.
November 1st was All Saints Day and many of us will celebrate those who have died this past year in worship on Sunday. This day reminds me of the people in my life who have helped me to know God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us, "And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit." This verse reminds me of the faces of all those people in my life that have reflected God's love to me. In remembering them, they don't feel so far off. Their faith has shaped mine. We're connected through the Holy Spirit and rejoice in the promise of new life to come. One day we will be reunited with all those who have gone before us and we will see God face to face! Can you imagine?!
Today, we recall those who have made a difference and we wait with expectancy. Spend some time today thinking of those people who have shaped you. What did they teach you? How have they helped you to know God? If you can, send a text, call them, or write a card to express your thankfulness for their role in your life.