What has been a milestone in your life this week? 

A milestone can be something exciting or mundane that is taking a part in your life.  It can be something as simple as having a good breakfast in the morning, failing a driver's test, to rocking it out on a test! Every time at Youth Group, we'll share these with everyone. See you on Tuesday at 6:00pm?

John 14: 1-10
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’
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Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

- How do you know if you're following the truth and life of Jesus? Is it possible to know this? 
- What does this mean for you today? The church today?
- How is this timely, especially during a time when some churches may want to be gathering in worship together already?
- What do you wonder about the text?
- What words stick out to you? 

- We hope we'll see you in Youth Group this Tuesday at 6:00pm! Click on the bottom page of stmichaelselca.com/faithathome-cyf for the Zoom link. Text or email Jon for the password! 
- Next Sunday is the CYF Volunteer Recognition! Check out Online Worship for the video! 

‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’
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Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying, ‘He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?’ Others were saying, ‘These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?’

John 10: 1-14

In the Scripture above, we hear of Jesus being the "Good Shepherd" for the sheep. What we know of sheep, is that they need a leader or a shepherd. Otherwise, they won't get their nourishment and they're simply sheep. They're a creature that belongs to each other. They don't need to change or conform or look different from each other. They are meant to work together. But sometimes they forget to do that.

 I think, we as humans are just like that.
We forget that we are called to be a community together.
And we are community, when we belong together.
We do that by honoring our gifts and strengths. 
We do it by listening to what our neighbor needs. There, we hear the voice of God.

Debrief questions:
- What is it like when you don't belong to a community?
- What is like when you belong to a community?
- What is hard about being in community?
- How can we continue communities together being far apart?

Talent Show at Youth Group, today at 11:00am!

Email or text Jon for the password.

Inhale through your nose and count to four.  While holding your breath, think of the word, Peace. Exhale through your mouth and count to eight.

Do this four times. 

Right now, it may seem that we are sailboats floating to the next island or thing. It's hard to know what's taking place or where to find a sense of peace. In the Scripture from today, we hear of the time that the disciples were walking and Jesus showed up surprisingly.  How is Jesus continuing to show up? 

After listening to the song above, debrief the following questions. 
- What parts of the song did you enjoy the most? 
- What would you like to ask, Ben Rector, the musician? 
- How can we see God in our lives right now?

 - Youth Group is on Tuesday at 6:00pm! On May 5, we'll have a Talent Show together! 

"Until I see His hands, feel the wounds of the nails, and put my hand to His side, I won’t believe what you are saying." - John 20: 25 (The Voice)

- Where in your life have you experienced doubt?
- Rachel Held Evans says, "She needs doubt with her faith." What are your thoughts with that?
- How can having doubt help you? 
- Do we need answers to everything? 
- What does having doubt mean, for Christians? People in the United States. People in Minnesota? You in your studies? 

1. Create an "Alleluia" poster with your family. Click here for directions and the print out.
2. Share a photo of yourself and loved ones on Easter Sunday, to celebrate the day together!
​3. Join on Milestones on Instagram at 3:00pm on Easter Sunday!

On Sundays at around 3:00pm, Jon will go on Instagram to do a check-in activity.

Luke 19: 38
​"The King who comes in the name of the Eternal One is blessed!Peace in heaven! Glory in the highest!

Go over these questions yourself, with a family member, or go into the GroupMe and debrief it! 

- When Jesus went to Jerusalem, he rode a donkey. What do you think he would ride today? 
- On Palm Sunday, we proclaim "Hosanna" for "Save us!" What do we need to be saved from?
- What kind of feelings do you have right now, as we begin Holy Week?

Challenge this week:
You have three! You are invited to do one, both, or neither. It's a challenge that's being placed on you by Jon.  He'd like you to do it. But like it's a challenge, and you're invited to it.
1: Write a card of peace to someone you don't want to give peace to. Then place it in your dresser, bedside table, or hidden in a yearbook from a couple years ago. 
2: Go around in your neighborhood and write messages of love and peace for your neighbors. 

On Sundays at around 1:00pm, Jon will go on Instagram to do a check-in activity.

You're welcome to do this activity before going through the rest of this content. ​

3: ​Print out and color the following palm leaf to be included in next Sunday's Online Worship as we celebrate Palm Sunday! Once you have your palm leaf colored. Take a photo of the leaf and yourself in it! Then please send the photo to Jon by Tuesday, March 31 so we can have it included in the Palm Sunday Worship Service. 

Click here to print out the leaf. ​

​(Please note: as you share the photo to Jon, you are agreeing to the photos being used in St. Michael's social media accounts. )

​To be in community, even virtually with the youth at St. Michael's, GroupMe is a free texting service for a closed texting group with two staff from St. Michael's. We invite our middle school and high school youth to join these texting groups to have community digitally, for staff to share updates & devotionals, and have another place to belong to each other in a time of social distancing.

Jon Bates and Brian Thompson will be involved in the group chats and have the ability to moderate texts. 

Use one  the link below to subscribe a youth for a texting group.

*This is not a replacement to Remind. Remind will continue for solely and occasionally updates to adults, parents, and youth on Youth Group and Service Trip 2020 news.