Reposting this story as an Easter Sunday reminder… to the praise of His glory of grace.
“Who’s the kid that just got baptized? I’ve never seen him before, but there’s a massive group of friends waiting to hug and congratulate him!”
“You don’t know him?” Graham, our youth pastor, asked, “He was in Hudson’s room at ski trip. That’s the weekend he decided to follow Jesus.”
Several months earlier, during the high school ministry ski trip, hotel smoke alarms blasted across the quiet wintry night. Everyone in the resort filed out onto the snowy lawn after midnight in their ski coats and pjs – a couple hundred students from our youth group, along with every other guest in the hotel – disgruntled families and their sleepy kiddos. The fire marshal pinpointed which room set off the alarm and reported it to Graham, who then summoned the four inhabitants. One of the four boys raised his eyes to Graham’s, “It was me. I have the vape.”
“Go wait for me in the stairwell by your room. Everyone else, get to bed.”
It took awhile for Graham and church staff to usher the groggy crowd back inside. Graham then trudged up the stairs and found the kid, head in hands, waiting. Graham sat down next to him, sighed, and joined him in silence for a couple of moments.
“Dude, you know what the consequence is for this. We were clear in the ski trip meetings, with you guys and your parents.”
“Yeah, I know,” the kid mumbled, head down. “Send me home on the first flight at my parents’ expense. I know.”
“That’s right. First flight home, no exceptions.”
Graham paused, “But I want you to know, on my way up here just now, another kid came to me and said, “Graham, send me home. Let him stay, I want to take his place. Send me home in his place.”
Wide eyes and instant tears turned into sobs, to the point where Graham gently took hold of this kid’s arm and said, “Whoa, it’s ok. That actually didn’t happen. But I want you to know that this is exactly what Jesus did for you.”
And four months later, on Easter Sunday, that kiddo proclaimed his faith for all to see.
And years later, I’m still thinking about it.