“Make it Beautiful!”
This is one of the encouragements we give to our Cabin Staff as they lead discussions around the Gospel story with their campers each evening. This doesn’t take a whole lot of extra work because the Gospel is rich in beauty already. The good work of the counselors is only to stay curious and open to where God’s spirit moves during these devotions.
Earlier this week, on Sunday evening, I was fortunate to make my way to Cabin 32’s devotion where the Gospel was being made beautiful.
Campers were joined in listening to the story of Zaccheus, a rich tax collector who finds himself at the center of the religious people’s disdain because Jesus invites himself to Zaccheus’s house, “a sinner,” to break bread together. Zaccheus’s response to the critique of the people and the generosity of Jesus, is to give up half of his possessions and pay back what he has cheated. What a response.
The discussion had been alive for a while and after several campers took the chance to say where they’d seen themselves in the story, or where they found good news, Grayson, one of the Counselors, leaned in and made it beautiful: “What does it mean to y’all that God calls us loved, no matter what?” What a liberating question.
This week it has been a true gift to have campers and staff back at camp, living into God’s call to make life in God’s world beautiful.
Today, I’ve seen campers in nature skill walking along the banks of Lake Eden, looking for the beauty in all those big and little creatures along the way.
On our upper soccer field, I observed a cabin group learning how to play the game of Ultimate frisbee, and there was beauty in that moment as well.
And tonight, camper’s go to Council where they will celebrate and recognize growth, each other, and the time spent at Rockmont this week.
We are really excited for Starter and Adventure parents to ask your sons tomorrow, “What did you see that was made beautiful?”
Andrew Ginn
Assistant Director