Scout Sunday Service at Good Shepherd United Methodist
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them, he was hungry.
Luke 4:1-2
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn—shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Psalm 98:4-6
When the Holy Spirit leads us, it can be a difficult journey; however, such journeys summon courage within us that lasts a lifetime. Hope is forged through loss; resilience is tempered through hardship; faith, is fostered through allowing the Holy Spirit to lead each of us into our own, personal frontiers.
Scout Sunday is a time for us to celebrate the journeys of our young men and young women. As discussed in a recent article (link below), when we ask whether we as families and communities have done our part to prepare our young people for the future, we can take heart that for whatever our worry, there is a merit badge for that!
But what is knowledge (or a badge) without faith, reverence, and wisdom? The best lessons we learn are often the hard-earned ones. In my own experience in Scouting, my Troop went on a couple-week journey through the mountains of New Mexico, a camp called Philmont. On the journey, we could only carry what was essential. We had one Gideon’s Bible split among us, and we all learned the Philmont Prayer:
For food, for raiment, for life, for the opportunity, for friendship and fellowship, we thank Thee, O Lord. Amen.
Now, I did not know what “raiment” meant at the time, but it means “clothing”. When in one day you hike from a desert to a cold, windy mountain top, you develop a newfound awareness of clothing, especially when it is warm and waterproof!
But there is also a deeper lesson when hiking through a frontier. The first few miles in, your mind races with worldly concerns. Then, your mind quiets and you start to notice the natural world. Then, you focus on your day’s mission: finding your site, setting up camp, and preparing dinner. There are often fortunate evenings where sitting in a circle, you talk through reflections on the day and on life—the kind of small-group work we seek to live into.
Now, with each meal on our wilderness hike, we prayed the Philmont prayer, but after a week of hiking, a deep hunger set in, and the pace of prayer quickened so we ate sooner. Then, a fellow Scout pointed out our need to pray intentionally no matter our hardship—that day we renewed our prayer commitments.
Have you ever rushed your prayers or felt like you faltered in faith? We probably all have. The good news is if you have ever struggled or experienced the absence of faith, it means you can truly know the presence and joy of faith. As the saying goes, you never know how tall you are until you are in over your head.
I often remember my fellow Scouter who carried Gideon’s Bible on our journey. He reminded us to focus on our prayers, even when we are tired, cold, and hungry, for there is always, always a reason to have faith and that when you reach the mountaintop, it’s important to make a joyful noise for the Lord; even if you can’t holler for yourself, holler for someone else. Someone will hear you on their own journey and Pass it On (Hymn 572); for it only takes a spark to get a fire going, Praise God!
–Robert C Cox
Link to Scouting Article:
