Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Milt Warkentien.
I’ve disliked the saying “The youth are our future.” This saying gets used in so many circumstances and I wonder if this is true, what that makes the youth now?
This phrase particularly bothers me in church, as aren’t we all children of God? Jesus took time for children; and in the Samuel text we heard on Sunday, God called to Samuel when he was a young boy. It seems to me that if Jesus took time for children and God called to Samuel as a young boy, then maybe our youth aren’t just the future but an important part of the church right now.
One of the things I really like about Prince of Peace is that our youth are given chances to be part of worship. Our youth can be readers, help with communion, share their musical gifts, etc.
In my years at Prince of Peace I’ve worked, played and traveled with many of our youth. I’ve always hoped that they learned as much from me as I did from them. In discussing their many questions about their faith and growing up, I usually grew in my faith as we together wrestled with their questions. Did we always come up with answers? No, but I know that we all benefited from their questions.
My prayer for all of us is that we all take the time to get to know the youth of our church and community, for if you do that I think you’ll realize how much they have to offer. Youth throughout history get raps for being bad, messed up, inconsiderate, etc.; and the more I’m around them the more I realize that there might be a few bad apples, so to speak, but that our youth have a lot to give to our community.
I wrote a song back in 2001 called “I Want a Faith that Can Move Mountains, Too”. I leave you with the words today to ponder in your heart.
Refrain: I want to be a disciple for you Lord. I want your love to be in all I do. I’ve heard that faith from a child can move mountains. I want a faith that can move mountains, too!
1) Believe in me, for I am the way. I am the truth and the life. These words we hear in scripture and song. Why do some not believe? Refrain
2) The faith from a child, so blessed and pure, loving and ready to learn. How sad it is that faith can be lost. How can we show God’s love’s real? Refrain
3) God’s love must be shown to all of mankind. We all have talents to use. Live out every day in honor and praise. We must all answer God ‘call! Refrain
4) If we’d have been following Jesus around, would we be any more sure? How blessed are they who have not seen, yet they believe in the Lord. Refrain
I want a faith that can move mountains, too!
Dear God, let the children come to all of us, so that we might remember our childlike faith: innocent, excited, questioning and pure. If we’ve lost our childlike faith, may we take time to reflect on what that faith was like, for I know we’ve heard that faith from a child may move mountains, and WE have MANY “mountains” to move.
May God bless us all,
Milt