WELS youth rallies continue to focus attendees on God and what he has done.

As I sat on the bus listening to my Discman in 1999, I wasn’t sure what to expect at my first WELS Youth Rally in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I had graduated from eighth grade a few weeks earlier and possessed that weird mix of confidence and doubt that only a 14-year-old can manage. My older sister had attended previous rallies and assured me they were awesome, but the idea of being with thousands of kids seemed intimidating. At that point, my biggest concern was what other people thought of me. Would they think I was cool? Would they think my jean shorts were cool? (Definitely a no on that one.) I was consumed with the opinions of people I had never met.

Sometimes I wonder what I would say if I could go back and speak to that version of myself. One thing I would communicate is that it’s hopeless to try to find your identity in what other people think or say about you. Pursuing that goal led me to do and say things in high school that I now regret. It also filled my mind with an anxiety that I know was not what God wanted for me. I had been baptized as a baby and raised faithfully in worship and Bible study. I knew all the wonderful things God had done for me in Christ, and yet I kept looking for my certainty somewhere else. “Yes, God, all that is great, but we both know the real certainty comes from being on homecoming court.” I can see now how sad that is.

I’m thankful for that 1999 rally and the way it focused me on Christ. After the rally, I got back on the bus to Wisconsin thinking less about myself and more about God. I’m thankful for patient pastors, humble teachers, solid parents/sisters, and mature friends who did their part to (1) lead me to despair of myself and (2) lead me to Jesus’ cross. I won’t pretend that I no longer struggle with identity, but the Holy Spirit has used Word and sacrament to focus me on what God has done.

And now I get to share that message. Part of this year’s rally theme served as the basis of my keynote address—“Here is your God!” That’s what the 2,800 of us in Colorado did: We marveled at the God who calls himself ours. His wonderful combination of might and love took center stage. His opinion of us is the only one that matters, and his unfailing love is so clear.

Learn more about the 2024 WELS International Youth Rally.

Author: Alexander Groth
Volume 111, Number 08
Issue: August 2024