“Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!”*

New Orleans is clearly an amazing city with no lack of things to do, see, explore, and eat! However. . .here the old adage “All Things In Moderation” is more of a “do as I say, not as I do” sort of thing. The apostle explains this to Corinthians like this:

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.
They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)

The rich cultural and historical reality of New Orleans is all around us in neighborhoods like the French Quarter, yet every bit of the beauty also contains an ounce struggle, vice, or tragedy. How do we balance the two natures of sinner and saint within our lives faith? For our youth the answer to this and other questions like it are sought by observation of the world and adults around them. Eric Metaxas says this more eloquently in the introduction of his book Seven Men:

“If we can‘t point to anyone in history
or in our culture whom they should emulate,
then they will emulate whomever.”

Our second day in New Orleans was spent exploring practices and virtues that both exemplify and challenge our faith. It may seem odd for a pastor to take a group of Senior High Youth to the Historic Voodoo Museum of New Orleans, but I would rather they experience the confrontation and exposure to darkness with their pastor to guide them and protect them in processing it all in ways that build up their faith instead of break it down. These are pagan practices and ideologies that embrace what Scripture speaks explicitly against, and the Devil works hard to mask his ill-intentions beneath that which is good, right, and, even sometimes, holy. When (not if) they are confronted with ideas and practices in contradiction to Scripture, my prayer is always that they are granted the portion of strength required to stand firm in their faith. Being able to see first hand how the practice of voodoo and hoodoo entered into and developed in this country, and recognize that elements of these pagan practices still exist when what they see as “exhibits” in a museum are also offered tributes and offerings – bridges the disconnect between what is seen in a book and what is learned by the senses. Voodoo practices and spirituality are as embedded into the history of the Delta South (the Mississippi Delta) as slavery and the slave trade are. Many of these spiritual ideologies were brought from native traditions in West Africa as Africans were ripped from their homelands and forced into slavery. But because Louisiana was definitively Catholic, they baptized everyone into catholicism REGARDLESS of social, economic, or racial status. As such, Voodoo and Hoodoo actually co-opted elements of catholicism to mask their practices and allow them to continue practicing without being forced to wholly abandon a spiritualism that tied them to their roots. Many Catholic saints were also adopted as “Saints” in Voodoo and Hoodoo. The famous “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans,” Marie Laveau, was actually baptized and married in the Catholic Church at the St. Louis Cathedral – even as an active voodoo practitioner. The lesson for our youth in all of this is not only historical, but also being present and given a glimpse into the spiritual battles that otherwise rage around us unseen.

There are times, though, when the physicality of these battles leaves such scars on history that they are worthy of their own museums. We had the opportunity to experience part of the National World War II museum and see secondhand the planning, logistics, emotional struggle, and execution of the battles during WWII. The world saw a clear and obvious evil ravaging and consuming their neighbors and decisively stood against it. The sacrifices, impact, and effect in doing so take a profession of faith onto the battlefield. Faith in practice becomes a reality.

Continue to keep these youth in your prayers as we challenge their understanding and practice of what following Jesus means for them. Thanks again for your support! God bless!

[*A Cajun French phrase meaning “Let The Good Times Roll!”]

We made it to New Orleans around 2:00PM (CST) and hit the ground running. My hope is to be able to share these daily updates and recaps from our Youth (Griffin, Josephine, and Mya) each morning to give a glimpse of their experience. We are excited, and deeply grateful, for this opportunity and invite you to see why these events are so incredibly important for our youth.

Opportunities like this for our youth also make it possible to explore how faith in Christ plays out in our daily lives in different contexts. Along with the National Youth Gathering, we will also be visiting different venues of cultural and historical significance in faith practices that are unique in New Orleans. These opportunities include a guided tour of the historic St. Louis Cathedral to learn about the role and unique relationships that the church and her leaders had in the early days of the city. As odd as it sounds, we will also visit the Voodoo Museum of New Orleans to explore how the Christian faith can be misconstrued, dangerously co-opted, and syncretized with faith practices that stand in opposition to Scripture. Likewise, we are taking a day-trip to see the Whitney Plantation, which is the only plantation museum in Louisiana exclusively dedicated to understanding the history and legacies of slavery. This excursion outside of the city also takes on a tour through the Maurepas Swamp and learn about the role that these unique ecosystems had (and still have) on New Orleans culture. We are also going to check out the National WWII Museum as this is an important part of our history as a nation that helped to protect our freedom to practice our faith, as well as exemplify standing up for the sake of our neighbor’s freedom to practice faith too. We are either all free or no one is. The purpose of all of these additional experiences is to challenge what following Christ looks like beyond the four walls of our church.

“Official” Gathering programming begins tomorrow evening with our first mass event. 20,000 LCMS youth from across the country will be gathered together under one roof for one reason. Jesus! To explore and grow in faith together. These mass events will be live-streamed, so if you would to check them out from home you can do so at https://www.lcmsgathering.com/live. We are also hoping to post these videos and updates on LCW’s website as well at: www.FamiliesInChrist.org/nyg25

We appreciate your prayers and support for this week! Thank you! God bless!