“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church at Cenchreae... Greet Prisca and Aquila,...greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus,...Mary, ...greet Andronicus and Junia,... Ampliatus, ...Urbanus, ...Stachys, ...Apelles. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus, ...Herodion, ... the family of Narcissus.  Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, ...Persis, ...Rufus, ... his mother, ...greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, ...Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them… .All the churches of Christ greet you.” (From Romans 16)

Several years ago, I was talking with a wise friend about church youth trips. We were going back and forth on what makes a trip worthwhile, and he said, “It’s not about what you do; it’s about who you meet.” 

This advice seems consistent with what Paul might have said about his journeys. All of his letters conclude with greetings to the many people who have supported and worked with him on his travels to share the gospel. He gives recognition to the heads of households who hosted him on his way, to the community leaders who continued the work of the gospel in his absence, and to the ordinary people who made his journeys memorable. While Romans has the longest list of people to greet, every single letter Paul wrote includes a greeting by name.

It’s also simply true of life that the things we do are made meaningful by the people we share them with. At work or at play, we do our best to surround ourselves with people we enjoy, who impact us, whose very presence makes a difference.

Six years ago, I took a group of middle schoolers and adults to the same retreat center in Pine Ridge that our congregation’s youth will visit next week. During that time, we will meet and spend time with many different people, some for a few minutes; others for many hours. Each one will share a piece of their story with us, and each interaction will form and shape us along our journey. When I went last, I asked the six teens to tell me who they would remember when they went home. These are their answers:

“Uncle Will because he taught us that it's okay to feel what we feel and share our emotions with someone we trust”

“Kevin Poor Bear because he saw the power of prayer and faith and how important it was to share that while respecting other people’s differences.”

“Valery Brown Eyes gave me a different perspective on the reservations and the experience of Lakota people. Even with troubles, she was proud of her people and her heritage.”

“Uncle Will because how passionate he was that everyone was your family and how… yeah he just had a really good vibe.”

“Will, because of his story and how he sees youth and women as sacred, and how he was able to overcome hate and share the story of Wounded Knee with us..”

“Darrin because he was such a good storyteller.”

I share these six-year-old reflections in hopes that when the RLC group returns from South Dakota at the end of June, we will get to share similar stories. Stories of people. Stories of conversations. Stories of shared meals. Stories of changing our minds. Stories of laughter. Stories of vulnerability. Throughout these stories and the people behind them, we imitate Paul: gratefully thanking God for the people who have blessed us with their very selves.

God, we thank you for all the people who touched our lives this day, this week, this year, and throughout our lives. May we always notice and be grateful for their presence in our lives. Amen.