Rites of Passage

This past weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate my birthday, and it was a pretty great celebration. For me I guess theirs always an inward sadness because I'm getting older, but one of the beautiful things about birthdays are the memories we become surrounded by with the people we celebrate with. Sometimes it means reconnecting with old friends, or acknowledging new ones. However it may be I started to consider the Rites of Passage within our society and culture. This seems to be something that just really lost it's place amongst an Urban and Hispanic culture. IN considering this its unavoidable to consider the value of birthdays, graduations, and even just the value of the transitions we make in life. Sweet sixteens and Quinceanera don't just represent really expensive celebrations, there transitional reflections on the life of child becoming a woman.

As I read John 2 I continued thinking about this idea. In this chapter Jesus performs his first public miracle. This story actually plays out in a pretty amazing way, because Jesus mother informs him that "there is no wine." Jesus proceeds to reply, "My hour has not come yet." His mother had an expectation of him. She knew who he was and what he was capable of. Perhaps what is really lost with these Rite's of Passage is the idea of expectation. Most of these celebrations and times we kids just really aren't ready for. A young person graduating from Middle School, probably doesn't fully understand what going into high school means, and I doubt that someone celebrating a sweet sixteen really understands what it's like to become a woman. But the expectations of family and peers certainly publicly expresses their support and encouragement in these times.

Curiously enough, I have to wonder what the Church's role is in this, and how do we affirm these Rites of Passage. How do ministries tie into graduations and birthday celebrations? And how do we affirm our own Rites of Passage like Baptism, or even first communion? I guess I'm asking this because these landmarks in our lives are monumental transformative moments, and as the church we are called to live in relationship with Christ and with each other. Believing that together we can live in service to him, and ultimately live the best life possible to us on this earth. In reality these transitions have become lost and many times undervalued. Many see some things as to traditional, or to overdone, but the point of many of these moments is to really understand what the transition is. Spiritually during a baptism we become a completely new creation, and this marks a celebration moment, where we publicly declare Jesus as Lord of our life. Likewise similar celebrations all mark important moments that can't simply be looked over, but really have to be acknowledged and celebrated.

My 23 birthday celebration, was literally probably the best ever. It was a great reminder of the old and the new in my life, and ultimately a great look into how far I've been able to come in life. I have amazing friends and family, that I can 100% rely on. I am also able to look at life, and recognize, I'm and adult lol. I knew this, but Saturday was a pretty big reminder, mainly because I realized how much God had help me build in my life in however many years. Those friendships, would not have been possible had it not been for his love and mercy. Time is an incredibly precious commodity, and I'm happy to say I've done my best to honor the time I have spent on this earth.