“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” – John 14:12
I loved serving as a youth pastor. It was always a joy to be around students who had such an exciting spirit. We always had wonderful worship and Bible study together. We went on fun trips doing missions and having adventures. One of my favorite trips each year was our annual ski trip. We would load up a charter bus and leave the fruited plains of Oklahoma for the snowy mountains of Colorado.
Taking a large group of students skiing is challenging. There are so many things to prepare for, even before you leave for the trip. One of the most important things is making sure you feed them. Active teenagers eat a lot of food! On one particular ski trip, we brought our own cook. She was a mother of one of our youth, and she was happy to go to Colorado with us and was willing to cook for us each day.
It was the second day of our trip and I had just finished skiing that afternoon. When I returned to the condo, she asked if I could go get a few things for dinner that night. We did not need much additional food, but the nearest grocery store was far away. Another leader and I jumped on a shuttle and left for the store. While we were on our way to the store, it began to snow. When the bus stopped, we quickly made our way into the store, collected what we needed and headed back to the bus stop to catch the next shuttle.
We waited and waited and waited and waited… no shuttle. I was getting worried, so we went back into the grocery store and asked the manager if they knew when the next bus was due. That is when we received the bad news. No more buses for the day. We were immediately worried. We were a long way from our condo and the students. We told the manager our dilemma, but they had no solution for us.
We were about to walk out of the store when something special happened. A complete stranger approached us and told us she had overheard our story. She said she would give us a ride. We put our groceries in the back of her car, and she raced out of the parking lot, rushing us back to our group. I have never forgotten her kindness. In a moment of helplessness and worry, she blessed us with great generosity.
It is moments of grace like this that remind me of the goodness of God in the world. When we feel isolated and powerless, the kind and caring presence and work of others set us free for moments of joy and peace. I am so thankful for the grace of a stranger that took us from stranded to home. May each of us reflect that same grace of God to all our neighbors.
Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
