Youth Conference in Toronto, Canada December 30, 2022-January 1, 2023
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.” John 15:13–17. This verse was the theme of the recent Canadian Field youth winter conference.
Brother Makoto Matsumoto opened the conference by reading and discussing the last parts of The Desire of Ages, chapter 78 with the congregation. Under the title “Calvary,” Sister White describes the trials Jesus had to go through. Jesus had a very hard life, being rejected by His nation and not understood by His disciples. Even His own family gave Him challenging times. However, He could bear everything as He knew God was there for Him. Jesus could not see beyond the tomb. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that He would be separated from God forever. It was such severe pain and stress that He died of a broken heart.
This is how much Jesus loves us even when we do not deserve it. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” He did all this to be our friend. The question was then asked, “Would you like to be His friend?”
Several youth came forward and shared regarding different friendships in the Bible. Sister Edna Climaco talked about “Job and His Friends.” Job’s friends showed both the positive and negative things friends can do. She introduced Job 2:13, “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” Job’s friends mourned with him for seven days, which is what we need to do when our friends face difficulty. Often, we do not listen to the stories of our friends and jump to giving advice when our friend just needs someone to cry with.
However, what Job’s friends did afterwards was unfortunate, as they blamed Job for what happened to him. They eventually repented at the end of the story, but we can learn about the importance of compassion. We do not know what great controversy is going on between Satan and God. Therefore, we should not judge our friends as easily as Job’s friends did.
Sister Mami Matsumoto spoke about “Samuel and Eli.” Their friendship was an interesting one when we consider the difference in their age. Eli was an old man, while Samuel was a little boy when they formed such a strong friendship. And the secret of this can be found in the story when Samuel first received the message from God. Even though Samuel thought Eli woke him up three times in the night, he never got frustrated. Eli also was not annoyed by his sleep being disturbed three times. From here, we can see the importance of patience and kindness in our friendships.
Sister Ylenia Gallo shared the topic, “Luther and Melanchthon.” Though Luther was such an incredible reformer, his character also had flaws. While he was strong and bold, he could also easily get in danger. Therefore, God sent him a partner that had a totally opposite character. Melanchthon was a very calm and careful man. When Luther was in haste, Melanchthon would calm him down and reason with him. Meanwhile, when Melanchthon was scared, Luther gave him courage. Their friendship was a life-long one as they both dedicated their lives to the reformation until they were buried next to each other. From their stories, we can learn about the importance of our friends, whom we sometimes find hard to understand when they have different perspectives. God might have sent them to us to compensate for our weaknesses.
Sister Emily Skibicki welcomed the Sabbath with the meditation from The Desire of Ages, chapter 73, “Let not your heart be troubled.” From here, we can find the promise of Jesus, as our best friend. “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18. “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Comforter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circumstances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and cheer.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 669
The evening program was led by Brother Jason Climaco with the title “You are my friends, if…” From the story of a young rich man, we can see that it is not enough to keep the letter of the law. We need to understand the core principle of the Ten Commandments in order to be friends with Jesus. Throughout the discussion, the one core principle which was pointed out repeatedly was “love.” Without love, we can never keep the Ten Commandments fully. If we do not have true friendship (love) toward Jesus and our neighbours, we will refuse the invitation to be Jesus’ friend and leave Him with a sad face.
On Sabbath, December 31st, 2022, the last day of the year, approximately 100 young people and members from around the province of Ontario came together to worship God.
For the divine service Brother Morris Lowe, (the guest minister of the conference), spoke on the subject, “I have called you friends.” We need a few good friends in our lives as they will make our joy double and sadness half. What is the criteria of a good friend? We should first see if they will encourage our spiritual lives. It is important to choose friends wisely as they will lead to either heaven or Satan. It is unwise and dangerous to have ungodly friends as it is written in James 4:4, “know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Also, as Christians, it is important for us to invite our friends to join the church group, just as Nathaniel was introduced to Jesus by Philip.
Another important thing to consider is whether they love you genuinely and demonstrate their love. Love is the underlying condition of a friendship. Though it is possible to love someone who is not our friend (Matthew 5:43–44; Luke 6:35–36), it is impossible to be a friend without love. And, we should note that true love is unconditional. If someone is truly in love, one can never unlove the other. Knowing each other’s flaws or weaknesses will not stop their love.
There is one Man who meets all these criteria–His name is Jesus. A little boy once defined a friend as “someone who knows everything about you and loves you still.” That is who Jesus is for us. He knows everything about us—our flaws, sins, and weaknesses. However, He still loves us and died for us. He is now inviting us, to come closer to heaven. We are privileged to answer this invitation and have Jesus as our friend.
Following a musical program in the afternoon, another set of youth presented the following topics:
The friendship of “David and Jonathan,” was shared by Sister Abigail Handiya. Although Johnathan was next in line to the throne, he never cared about the succession and truly loved David who had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king. He even risked his life to protect David. They saw a reflection of themselves in each others’ eyes, loved one another, and grew together. They became friends who brought each other closer to God. Their friendship continued even after Jonathan was killed in battle. David took good care of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, as his own son, even when Mephibosheth could be a threat to his throne. This is the true love and friendship God expects to see from us.
Sister Venecia Quicuca spoke about, “Daniel and His Friends.” Unfortunately, friends in the world easily neglect and stop talking to us. Many times, it is because of their pride. However, Daniel was different. He never forgot about his friends and always humbly relied on them. When Daniel was called to interpret a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had, he went to his friends and asked for them to pray with him. We should have the same attitude toward our friends. Whether on good or bad days, we should always stay humble and recognize our need for support and help from our friends. God will manifest His power through humble people like Daniel.
The last topic was titled “Paul and Timothy,” presented
by sister Jasmine Avila. She analyzed the verses from 2 Timothy 1:3–5 and introduced three recipes for a healthy friendship: “I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”
The first step is “focusing on God.” As Paul started his message by saying, “I thank God,” it is important to keep God as our priority in our friendships. Without God, our friendship cannot exist, as He is the source of love. Especially when there is a problem with a friend, we should talk to God before approaching our friends. The second step is “focusing on your friend.” In this Bible verse, Paul does not talk about himself or the tribulation that he is going through. He rather talks about Timothy, showing that is all he cares about. In our friendships, we should place our attention and care on our friends, not on ourselves (Philippians 2:3). The last step is “Focusing on Faith and Family.” The Bible verse closes as Paul talks about Timothy’s faith and family. If we care about our friends, we care about their family and spiritual condition, being a keeper of our friends.
In the late afternoon, Sister Esther Handiya shared a message for the Sabbath closing, bringing the congregation’s attention back to our theme Bible verse in John 15:13–17. Jesus loved us and called us friends first. He proved His friendship on the cross by dying for us. Unlike many false friends we meet on this earth, Jesus will always be with us in any circumstance. Though friends on this earth might spread bad rumours about us, Jesus will always keep our secrets. Though friends on this earth will not understand our pain, He will listen and comfort our hearts. He is our redeemer and friend, the only comforter.
As the New Year began with the sunset, brother Makoto greeted the congregation, especially the youth, with a New Year’s message. He represented youth as a snow crystal. Unlike other crystals, snow crystals melt and disappear. And these characteristics show what youth is like. The time of youth is very short. It eventually fades away. However, that is what makes youth more special. Also, no two snow crystals have identical shapes. It shows how each youth is unique from all others. Though these snow crystals look fragile and exist for a very short time, they are a critical part of our water supply in Canada. 36% of the annual precipitation in Canada is in the form of snow. As this snow melts in the spring, it becomes the source of new life. If youth—snow crystals—yield themselves to their sunshine, Jesus Christ, and let Him melt their hearts, they will participate in the water of life, to bring new life to many others.
In the evening, a testimony hour was held, and many individuals, from a little child to the experienced elders, shared their experiences and appreciation toward God throughout the year. The message shared through different testimonies was that God is close to us in our daily life and leads us with His hands. The congregation left the church believing that God who said, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6) will continue to bless and guide them in the New Year, as He did in the previous year.
On Sunday morning, Brother Richard Eaton led the closing service. He shared his experience with “friends” from high school. There were some classmates who had often tried to give him difficult times. But when Brother Richard got his first car, they drastically changed their attitude and became kind to him. As we can see from his story, “friends” in the world often change their attitude toward us based on benefit. However, a true friend is with us in both good and bad times. Jesus said “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” John 13:34. This commandment has existed since the old time. It was also in the laws written by Moses (Leviticus 19:18). However, as men forgot this principle, this commandment became something new for them. How about us? Have we forgotten the principle of true friendship? Have we forgotten to love each other and be united? With these questions, the conference came to an end.
The conference was prepared and led by the youth. It led to many blessings, including the privilege for our spiritual family to open the New Year all together. May these youth continue to grow and be a blessing for others in this New Year.
Makoto Matsumoto