This Sunday, four of our young
people will go through the rite of Confirmation at church and publicly declare
their faith in Jesus. They are very bright young people and each of them have
prepared Faith statements about their Christian beliefs. They have been
nurtured spiritually by their families and our congregation, so the whole event
will be both a sacred and special time for all of us.
They are all deep thinkers which is
what Presbyterians are known for. However, they are also Presbyterians in the
Bible Belt, which is not always easy to practice. Some of them have been have
been confronted and demeaned by their evangelical peers, who seem to take great
delight in telling them that they are not going to Heaven simply because they
are Presbyterians. It must be very hard for our young people during those
moments, but they are all strong in their faith and know who they actually are
in Christ’s eyes. One day, each of them will become leaders in our church. They
have a great potential and we all feel both honored and deeply privileged to
have them among us.
When Peter was writing about the
sufferings that Christians were experiencing in his time, he was reminding them
that to follow Christ was never easy. During those dangerous times, Christians
were persecuted by both Imperial and religious authorities. They were regarded
as seditionists whose beliefs were thought to be corrupt and shameful. They were
hunted down and arrested, humiliated and executed for believing in a religious fanatic
who had been crucified for his criminal behavior.
I wonder what Peter would have
thought of today’s Christians who bait and provoke one another, causing our
young people to reject the church? I think that he may have been both
disappointed and righteously angry by our pride and arrogance, our heartlessness
and hostility. Perhaps it is time to re-learn our faith from our young people;
perhaps it is time to seriously rethink about our divisive ways. I know that I
have been guilty of this, too. I know that I need to reconsider that how I
express myself as a Christian is more important to our young folks than what I
actually have to say.
Questions for personal reflection
How do I convey
my Christian faith to those around me? Is my witness to Christ effective or
aggressive?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, the world is constantly
changing and our young people are the most precious gifts that You bring to our
churches. Help us all to support them in their faith journeys, to nurture them
spiritually, and to encourage them faithfully, so that they may develop their Christian
beliefs in productive and positive ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to make comments or ask questions about today’s message, please
send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called “After the Fire.” If
you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/14077009816_c339a8caf4_b.jpg
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