The Hub, March 27, 2019
Recently, members of our youth group took on the challenge of a local escape room. Inspired by the reported haunting of Chatham Manor, participants had forty-five minutes to find clues and solve the puzzle of why Lady Chatham had returned from the dead. It sounds perhaps frightening, but this family friendly event was not a horror story. There were plenty of aha moments and laughter instead.
This was an opportunity for team work and friendship. Although we did not successfully navigate all the challenges, our youth from varied schools (some not knowing each other well) discovered the gift of deepening friendship as they worked together with common purpose. As with any family, our Christian family grows stronger with shared experience overcoming trials and perhaps even having fun along the way.
Too often, people assume spiritual exercises need to be arduous. Yet remember, Jesus took time to relax with his disciples. He would go away from the crowds and rest. Growing scholarship also lifts up the humor of Jesus, often nuanced or culturally based, but it is there. It appears people enjoyed being with Jesus, and socializing would have been part of his team-building plan with his all too human disciples.
As children of God at any age, it is good that we pray and serve together, but time for play and laughter is important too. We need to share in all aspects of life, and this includes Gospel joy and human friendship. Whether its group outings or shared hobbies, Jesus is there when we gather in his name as his children. We can meet Jesus anew amidst play and laughter.
Some of the CLC youth who braved the escape room.
Originally published in The Hub, a weekly email of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.
© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.
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