Airports & Cathedral Ridge
by the Rev. John Hill
Airports are fascinating places! I love to sit down and watch people. There are people from all over the world traveling to someplace else to do so many different things. Some wear big coats, others wear shorts, while others are still in pajamas. They are tall, short, large, petite, young, old, dark hair, blond hair, light skin, dark skin, and everything in between. Then you of course have all the different cultures and family histories, the variety of ways people think about the world, and even their genetic makeup. How can there be so many different varieties of people yet still all be human?
As humans, we are made in the image of God! We are all loved by God. Yet each of us reflects God in a different way, both physically and emotionally. We are united by the love of God and yet live that love out in so many wonderful ways in our lives.
Paul uses the image of the body to illustrate this point in 1 Corinthians 12:12: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
Christ is God’s love for the whole world. God loved and created the whole world and redeemed it through Christ. We are unified by God’s love in the world, and yet we are so different from one another. Just as the body is one yet made up of a variety of different parts, we are one in God’s love and made up of so many different people. When we value and listen to each other, we get a glimpse into the love of God through that person.
At Cathedral Ridge, we gather a variety of different people throughout the year. They are all so different from each other and yet so wonderful to get to know because, through them, I see a reflection of the love of God. They are young, old, tall, short, talkative, quiet, tired, energized, full of knowledge, and seeking knowledge, but God loves all of them. We are united by this love, as shown by Christ through the Holy Spirit. We offer a variety of different programs at Cathedral Ridge, including youth camp. family camp, Abound leadership retreats, congregational retreats, and many more. My hope for each one of the programs is that guests experience the love of God that unites us all and sees that love in the variety of different people they encounter at Cathedral Ridge. While airports are interesting places to see a variety of different people, it is at Cathedral Ridge that we have the opportunity to encounter the love that unites us all in Christ Jesus.
THE REV. JOHN HILL is the Vicar & Executive Director for Cathedral Ridge Camp and Retreat Center.
