Let’s begin…
The National Study of Youth and Religion found that almost 60% of emerging adults made their first commitment to live their lives for God before the age of fourteen.*Think about it… By the time a person is 14, they pretty much already know if their faith is going to be a part of their lives in the future. I decided to test this by asking children and teenagers from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) whether they thought they would be in the church in 10 years and if so, why? I encouraged them to think about the things in the church they loved, and dra
While there is much hope in what you will read and see over the next few weeks. There is also push back. There were those who quickly walked away from my question and felt challenged. They are already heading out of faith communities in their current forms. There were those who had a lots of, “I will be in the church… if.”
The question I have for those of you reading this first post is, what are you doing alongside your faith community to have the tough conversations? How are you establishing relationships with the younger people and their families so that by the age of 14, they see the importance of being faithful for life?
I would argue that most churches start too late listening to the hearts and voices of our young people, and many have walked away. As you light candles and read the daily devotions, take time to find who you are walking “with.”
Psalm 78:1-4 (NRSV)
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and God's might, and the wonders that God has done.
(The Message)
Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and God's might, and the wonders that God has done.
(The Message)
Listen, dear friends, to God’s truth, bend your ears to what I tell you. I’m chewing on the morsel of a proverb; I’ll let you in on the sweet old truths, Stories we heard from our fathers, counsel we learned at our mother’s knee. We’re not keeping this to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation
Weekly Scriptures
Read the weekly scripture each day. Find a phrase or word that speaks to you. Share your reflections with others over dinner, social media, and in prayer. Share the scripture with a child you know in the car, through a text, or in a children's Bible.
*Faith Formation with a New Generation by Lisa Brown, Tanya Eustace Campen, Lynn Barger Elliot, and Lee Yates
*National Study of Youth and Religion
*The view represented in these devotions come from a variety of diverse perspectives. We do not seek to agree but seek to welcome all to the conversation and the table.
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