For years I’ve heard about a Lutheran conference led by the organization Higher Things. Last summer, my pastor and I started talking about the possibility of our small youth group attending one of the conferences this summer. Plans were set in motion and amidst the busyness of the school year, we planned and held fundraisers, registered, booked flights, held pre-conference Bible studies, and anticipated this adventure.
The last two months of the school year were hectic and I generally felt disconnected emotionally and spiritually while I strove to get everything done and react to the next thing on my calendar or “to do” list. As I caught my breath after wrapping up my post-planning week, I eagerly anticipated our trip to Mequon, Wisconsin to attend Higher Things, 2024: “Who Am I?” on the campus of Concordia University, Wisconsin. Our small group from Gloria Dei Lutheran included Sienna, Mateo, Travis, Brady, Emma, and my co-chaperone chaplain Brian. I didn’t know what exactly to expect and the novelty of doing something completely unfamiliar was a joy.
I’m struggling to put this experience into words. It was incredible! Our days were grounded in attending liturgical services in the spectacular Chapel of Christ Triumphant with the most amazing acoustics, including Matins in the morning, Vespers after lunch, Evening Prayer at night. Then, we gathered at the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan late at night for Compline. Lutherans are known as the “singing church” and that identity was on full display during this conference. Sitting in the chapel with 1,000 other Lutherans (mostly teenagers!) and hearing the echo of “Lord have Mercy” sung in unison felt like a foretaste of the heavenly choirs of angels.
After the first Divine Service in which eight communion hymns were sung while 1,000 people participated in the Lord’s Supper, our group commented that it felt like the service went by quickly, even though it was close to 2 hours long. What a joy!
In addition to the liturgical services, we enjoyed five breakaway sessions over the three day conference, each of which related to the overall theme of finding our identity in Christ. I really enjoyed a session called “A Biblical Case for Rest” and another entitled “Self Esteem is Demonic”. Both encouraged us to see ourselves rightly as sinful creatures that receive every good gift of rest, grace, and righteousness through Christ. What the world deems as “healthy” self esteem is often an excuse for pride and reliance on one’s good works, which ultimately drives us away from God.
The main theme that stood out, for me, was the emphasis on biblical marriage and the self sacrifice of man and woman as related to Christ and the church, as described in Ephesians 5. One plenary session, a breakaway session on “Dating and Marriage” and a sermon was devoted to this topic! I was moved by the description: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her…” (Ephesians 5:25). Relatedly, wives are called to submit or subordinate themselves to their husbands. This sounds radical in our postmodern world, but as a woman who struggles with feeling responsible to do everything, it’s actually liberating to realize that I’m not ultimately “in-charge” but have a strong husband to rely upon. What a gift!
It felt incredibly grounding to slow down, receive God’s gifts, and hear over and over again that my righteousness is found in Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection, not in my striving. Watching Sienna, Teo, and our friends from church likewise receive these gifts and marvel at the joy of worshiping, learning, and playing with other Lutheran teenagers was pure joy!
Also, the campus has the most spectacular views of Lake Michigan! They had this looping path that you could stroll down to reach the beach. Then, you could gently walk back up or take the nearly 200 steps in the long staircase. We went often and took both routes! I was captivated by this beautiful lake and the lovely trails running down the bluff and along the lake, especially at night when the lightning bugs came out! I’d never seen them before and they were delightful!
I’m incredibly grateful for this trip and the many things we learned and remembered about our faith and life. Looking forward to Higher Things 2025!