“We are fools for Christ,” Paul writes to the community in Corinth, which I understand as a reference to the leaps of faith we are called to take and the risks we are asked to make when following Christ and loving others in His name. This great gamble is especially evident in our ministry with youth.
It starts at the font (as all things do in this Christian life of ours) when the child is brought to the family tub to be washed and welcomed. Every baptismal liturgy contains what is referred to us as the Declaration and Welcome which will either be a passage from scripture: “See what love God has given us that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are,” (1 John 3:1); or words inspired by scripture: “According to Christ’s appointment this child is now called to confess the faith of Christ crucified and risen and to remain his faithful servant all the days of their life.”
Those are quite the expectations to have for someone usually still in diapers. Doesn’t it strike you as a rather audacious act for us, frail flesh that we all are, to say to a young brother or sister in Christ: God loves you and child, you belong to God through Christ and are a member of Christ’s church and from this day forward there will always be a place for you in this family, regardless of your state or condition? What standards! I guess God will let just about anybody in.
And have you ever heard anyone say no, when the minister asks the congregation, “As members of the church of Jesus Christ do you promise to guide and nurture this child by word and deed, with love and in prayer, encouraging her to follow the way of Christ?” Has anyone ever interrupted the proceedings to have their dissent recorded? (This is a rhetorical question, by the way, as I don’t want anyone to write in to say they have heard of this because that would be utterly depressing and worthy of rebuke.) I have never heard it happen.
Yet, this fall, someone is going to stand in front of your congregation and say, “Well everybody, we are still short of church school teachers and our youth group is fundraising again so they can go to P.Y.P.S. and please note that all future youth group events will be held in the basement so they don’t again spill chips on the fellowship hall carpet.”
But didn’t we make promises? Didn’t we all promise to love and encourage one another? Didn’t we promise to rip up the flowerbed and build a basketball court if that meant young people might hang around a little more and feel that they had a place at church? Didn’t we promise to at least get to know their names? Didn’t we promise to look out for them and provide the best possible home for them so that they might grow in faith, hope and love? Didn’t we promise to try and do our best for them? Think of how important this is. Where else will our youth learn to sing? Serve? Listen? Share? Forgive? Where else will they learn how to pray? Where else will they hear our sacred story? The church community is one of those rare places in society now where they are not asked to be consumers. (“Burning but not consumed” would be a bad pun but a good theological point here.)
What a special place the church can be for youth. Yes, it is a gamble as we don’t know what will happen, or if it will matter to them or anyone that we take our responsibilities seriously and joyously, but it is a bet we ought to be willing to make.
Imagine the possibilities! Every child of God is priceless. Do the spiritual math: if your church school has 20 youth, 10 youth, one youth—you have an abundance of stories, ideas, dreams, faith, questions and talent. You also have countless opportunities to nurture and challenge them, learn and grow with them, guide and encourage them by what you do and by who you are. You can bless the youth in your life and make a difference to them. Just ask Russell, Jim, Birch, Graham, Harold and Pat, elders and teachers in my home church who were more than patient and faithful with at least one of their charges.
This summer the Canada Youth event was a great way for our church to make good on its baptismal promises. Now we as congregations and families pick up that burden again and delight to raise our youth in the knowledge that God’s world is still good and that they are valued members of it.
