The true light

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to come children of God. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:9-13

All I heard was silence.

What is normally a very loud group of four 12-13 year old boys were sitting in silence.

The consistent chatter of talking over each other was stilled as they sat and focused on the video being shown.

The video started with a man stumbling through crowded streets carrying a cross as people cried, scoffed as the soldiers escorted him outside of the city.

The video played on with no words besides the music playing, the lips of the characters moved showing conversation as Simon offered to carry the cross and later as the thief on the cross besides Christ asked Him to remember him when he came into His kingdom.

As I sat and watched my 4 young men take in this video as well as my two 17 year old streetleaders my heart prayed for an understand of the truth of what all of this meant for their lives. I prayed that it would not just be another time of hearing this story, that it wouldn't just be a story being told but rather it would be about lives being restored.

As the video ended Stevie their leader stood before them and simply said, “That is why Jesus was born at Christmas.”

He spoke about how the cross bridged the way between us sinners and God and finished in a prayer.

When he finished instead of everyone getting up eager and ready to play a game the boys all remained in their seats.

They were quiet.

Not quite knowing what to say, I acknowledged the sadness of this video but reminded them that Christ birth can be a celebration because He came to die but not to remain dead but rather to die in our place and to raise again to defeat death.

Within seconds their hands began to rise with questions.

One at a time they started asked questions, really good questions.

We pulled the Bible back out and read together the story of Christ’s death.

These boys spent the rest of their time at camp asking questions and reading to find the answers.

My pray for these young guy is that this Christmas they would understand the very great importance of Christ birth into this world but that they would understand the importance of it in their own lives.

Please join me in praying for this in the lives of these four boys as well as for my two streetleaders.