Last summer, I attended camp at Lutheridge in the North Carolina mountains with my granddaughter. We enjoyed the usual camp activities, like hiking and swimming, and Bible study for the adults.
Just before departing for home, we gathered in a circle around the flagpole. As part of the closing ceremony, a skein of colorful yarn was passed from one hand to the next, with each person holding onto the strand. Then a counselor came around the circle with a pair of scissors, snipping the long strand into shorter lengths, leaving each camper holding a piece of the yarn. We tied the yarn around our wrist, or ankle, to remind us that we were all part of something larger.
Our life experiences have united us with others in so many ways, but first and foremost, we are all united as children of God. As the words of the familiar hymn say, “Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love” (ELW 656).
We have a bond that unites us all in one large circle of humanity. We are all tied together, created in the image of God.
This message is excerpted from “Connected by bonds that unite (and colorful yarn),” by Susan P. Harris from the August 10, 2020, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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