I love being around young people. I love their energy. I love their passion. I love their innocence. There is a natural vibrancy that exists around young people and their faith that often isn’t present among their older counterparts. It’s a vibrancy that too often we out grow when we really shouldn’t. It’s a vibrancy that too often we discourage among our youth and then later wonder why they abandoned their faith. It’s a vibrancy that turns into a vacancy and sucks the energy right out of Christianity.
I was reminded of that energy, that passion, and that innocence last night. Every summer we organize an area wide summer youth series made up of seven congregations that have volunteered to participate over a period of eight weeks. We meet every Monday night throughout the summer for a period of worship, devotion, and fellowship and last night was our first. Almost 140 young people and adults from throughout our area got together and spent some time in worship and in the Word. But honestly, while it is a “youth series” I think it does us adults even more good than it does the young people. Why? Because those young people teach us something we all need to learn.
- Those young people remind us of what Christianity used to be like to us before we became adults and saw what some Christians are like. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. Christianity is pure. Christianity is perfect. Christianity is the highest standard of life to which we could possibly attain. It is a way of life that is to completely and totally be a reflection of God’s will and God’s will alone. But too often Christians make Christianity about themselves, what they want, what they think Christianity ought to be. I just don’t see that same attitude among young people. At least not among most of them. Young people see Christianity for what it is supposed to be, not what they want it to be. And that’s the way it ought to be.
- Those young people remind us of a time when worship was about worship and not what petty problems exist in the church. I have to admit there have been far too many times in my life when I had trouble worshipping properly because I knew of some petty problem that was going to have to be dealt with that I couldn’t take my mind off of. In some ways that’s my fault. There is a sense of discipline that we need to develop in our worship that should keep us from being distracted while our minds are totally centered on the God we praise. But at the same time those petty problems shouldn’t exist to begin with. It never has been, but the worship of the church should be a place of harmony and peace. There should be a unity present made possible only by each Christian’s unwavering submission and loyalty to God’s will and His will alone, sacrificing self purpose in order to achieve His. Young people have the blessing of experiencing Christianity outside of all those petty problems that we adults have caused. That innocence is something I miss most of being young myself.
- Those young people help give us a glimpse of the sweet fellowship we’re going to have in heaven one day. It’s funny, every Monday night (or camp, or any other time young people get together) is like a big family reunion. A chance to see friends that they might not have seen since camp last summer. There are smiles, hugs, and laughter. There’s no disapproving looks, no sordid comments, no hushed gripes. Those young people genuinely love to be with each other and generally take advantage of that opportunity every week to get together, spend time together, and worship God. When I read Revelation 21:4 it’s like in a very small way I’m reading about what every Monday night during the summer is like. But it’s also what every occasion when Christians get together should be like, too.
A lot of people look down on our young people because of their faith and what they bring to Christianity. Frankly, those people make me sick. Our young people have more of a right to look down on us because of our faith and what we have done to Christianity. After all, didn’t Jesus tell us that unless we are converted, and in that conversion become as children, then we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:3)? They can teach us a lesson we all need to learn. We’ve just got to be willing to listen.
-Andy