Sojourner 2011, What does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus?
The skit that I show in this clip is called the Everything skit because of the song (which I have playing as my background music) that it is performed to. Several of the campers, the counselor Socks and Creek (as Jesus), put this on for coffee house. I knew immediately that I wanted to include it in my video. For one, this last week we talked a lot about distractions. The very first fireside Creek had us write our distractions, things that might keep us from focusing on God that week, on a ball. Then we all went out into the dark field and each cabin punted their ball away. It seemed a way of saying that for us to have close fellowship with Jesus, an intimate relationship, it was necessary for us to cast away everything in this world that was hindering us. Yet as this skit shows, it is impossible to do this in our own strength.
Hearing the camper’s answers for this question, I was impressed by their maturity and sincerity. They really got it. I’d like to say this was true of every camper. However, then there would be no reason for this camp’s ministry. What’s more is that no matter how much you think you understand what it means to have this relationship, no matter how long you’ve been following Him, there are always more ways to “come up higher”. In other words, to move away from this world and closer to the creation God meant you to be.
In the beginning of the week I joined one cabin for their shelter chat. It was right after Jumpstart when Creek had talked about having a relationship with Jesus and asked us to discuss what we thought that meant in our cabin groups. For the first part of the shelter chat I just listened. I wanted to hear what the girls thought. Although not all of them spoke the ones that did expressed that Jesus was someone you could go to in hard times, but that it was hard to maintain a relationship because life got in the way. Basically what I heard them saying was that there wasn’t time to seek Him unless all else failed, then he was there as like a backup. So in a way they could count on Him, but he was like a forgotten crutch that they only pulled out when human hands disappeared. I was saddened to hear this, I was almost screaming inside wishing I could make them see that God wanted to share their joys as well as their pain. I shared with them how I was learning to have constant communication with Jesus talking to him every moment of the day, the good and the bad, just like a earthly father or friend.
Although I will never know if what I shared had any impact on those girls, I do know that many campers came away from this week walking more closely with Jesus then ever before. They grasped this idea of a mutual relationship, loving Jesus back and sharing life with Him – the thorns as well as the roses.
Pepper, good stuff. To all ya’ll campers out there – Pepper is seeing something worth paying some attention. The abundant life Jesus talked about is beyond hard times (and includes those too). I love camp!