And A Little Child Shall Lead Them

By Rev. Gusti Linnea Newquist and Rev. Gin Courtney


Youth Sunday

Proverbs 3:13-18
Luke 2:41-52

So. Madison Square youth. I must say I am impressed. Here you are, among your peers, not merely sitting in worship but actually leading in worship. Telling all of us, through the prayers you have written and the songs you have chosen, what you think is important about faith and friendship and family.

So let me tell you what I have heard, and you tell me if I got it right:

In your Call to Worship I have heard a desire for wisdom and learning, for openness and transformation. In your Prayer for Reconciliation I have heard a desire for creative positivity in the face of negative thoughts, criticisms, challenges and temptations. In your Assurance of Grace I have heard an attitude of gratitude, a desire for a fresh start, and a plea for the love and support of God to embrace you through whatever comes your way, no matter how difficult. And in your music selections I have heard a basic trust in the grace of the God who will always love you and save you and defend you and protect you.

If what I have heard is really what you wanted us to hear, then I say, “alleluia.” You are on the right track. At least as far as I am concerned. Stay on it! And if what I have heard is really what you wanted us to hear, then the rest of us in the church can pat ourselves on the back and congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Because somewhere, somehow in the midst of whatever chaos surrounds us, and surrounds you, you have heard us, lo these many years. You have heard God speaking through us. You have somehow gotten the message that we have wanted you to get all along. Which is that no matter what you are a Child of Blessing and a Child of Promise. Which means that no matter what God has given you gifts of knowledge and insight and understanding that will sustain your life and the lives of those who cross your path. And that no matter what God has given you strength and courage and support to share the best of who God created you to be in this broken, messed up world . . . that is still so painfully struggling to love God and to love neighbor.  And, I might add, to love itself.

And you are telling us today not only that you get it but that you want us to get it, too. Which is good because we need to be reminded. Just like the parents of Jesus did in the Gospel lesson from Luke that Chaplain Gin read for us this morning.

Imagine what it would be like to be the parents of Jesus. Think of the responsibility! The panic of your 12-year-old lost in Jerusalem. Not because he wants to see the big sights in the big city. But because he wants to keep on learning about God! He can’t get enough of church! He is hanging out in the pews, asking questions of the preacher, maybe even writing his own prayers and choosing his own hymns. Nothing stands in his way. Not a soccer practice. Not a term paper. Not a part-time job. Not two parents who would really rather get back home to Nazareth already.

He is into this! And they are into him. “And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” Just like we are all amazed at what you have put together for worship today. We need to be reminded that this is what really matters.

So here’s the question. What do you think it was that captivated Jesus so much in the temple? His teachers would not have been reading from the New Testament, like we are. The New Testament hadn’t been written yet! They would have been reading from the Old Testament. Perhaps even the very same passage from Proverbs we have read together this morning. The one that urges the pursuit of wisdom, just like you did in your Call to Worship. The one that says learning and insight and understanding are more valuable than all the wealth you could possibly possess. That wisdom holds the key to happiness. That wisdom yearns for peace.

Perhaps it was the call to pursue the wisdom of God at all costs that led Jesus to the desert to find his true vocation. Perhaps it was the call to pursue God’s wisdom that led him to a ministry of healing and justice and concern for the most vulnerable in our midst. And that led him back to the temple twenty years later to challenge those who were using religion as a curse instead of a blessing. And that sustained him as he hung on that tree of death and trusted the wisdom of God to transform it once again into a tree of life. Which is one way to understand the resurrection.

This is the real truth of what I think Jesus was learning and teaching in the temple that day. It was about instilling in him deep down into his very bones that he was a Child of Blessing and Promise no matter what. Which is what we are trying to instill in you every Sunday in worship and Sunday School, no matter what else we might say or do. It’s about making sure you know it. Really know it!

Not just today. But someday far away we haven’t even thought of it. When you really need it. Like Jesus did. And, of course, today.

This is why I hope you keep coming back to worship. Why I was so glad to see you here last week listening to my other sermon on wisdom. Why I want you to ask questions of me and of your teachers and share your thoughts with us. Just like Jesus did. And why I hope you will keep leading in worship. And tell me and Chaplain Gin when you want to do this again. And not let anything else get in the way. Because this is what really truly matters. This is what will save your life.

And even though our number one job is to instill a deep faith in you to sustain you through the future, the truth is we really do celebrate how wise you are becoming, right here and now, just as the teachers and preachers in the temple with Jesus did. You have given us an amazing worship experience. And we are shouting Alleluia!

Amen.

And now a word to the grown-ups. We have been talking a lot in the past few months about what kind of programming Madison Square should be providing for children and youth. We have hired a fabulous Christian Educator and pulled together an equally fabulous group of volunteers to lead the way in the months and years to come. And all of this is very, very good.

But here’s the thing. If our goal is to instill a lifetime of faith in our young people, there really is no substitute for bringing them to worship. There really isn’t. The research reveals that a whopping 80% of teenagers whose primary engagement with the church is through some “other-than-worship activity,” like a youth group, will quickly leave the church once they graduate from high school. The social club was more important than the faith. But if they are in worship regularly with a primary adult figure we can keep at least half of them. Perhaps more. Because there is something deep in our bones that happens through the ritual of worship that keeps us coming back for more. And that reminds us, at least in a community like Madison Square, that we are never ever apart from God’s embrace. And so we keep coming. Which is what Ruby Gage wants to share with you . . .

“Good morning people of Madison Square,” she says. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t be with you this morning, so instead I wrote this to be read to you:

“I have been asked to tell everyone, especially the kids, what lessons I have learned from the people here at Madison Square that I would take with me to college and into my adult life. I can’t tell you how hard it was to come up with ONE thing to talk about. I could think of tons of advice that people have given me, about all sorts of things. The more time I spent trying to decide what was the most important, the more indecisive I got. Something hit me though. In thinking about all this advice on how to be an adult, I couldn’t tell you when someone actually becomes an adult.  Legally, it’s when one turns 18, but we all know that eighteen-year-olds ARE FAR FROM ADULTHOOD. So when is it? When do we grow up?

“I tried to think about what I could find in the Bible about this and all I could come up with was that God might not really want us to grow up. There are verses about responsibility and teaching kids to be good, but when it comes to being a “grown-up” the Bible kinda tells us to do just the opposite. In the gospels, there is a story, one that we’ve all heard before, about how children were brought to Jesus. Anyone remember what he said? “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:16)

“So does this mean that we can skip growing up, and go join Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in Neverland? No, it just means that sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of the way a child looks at life. Sure it’s carefree, but it’s also pure. They see the world as the beautiful thing that it is. I have learned that this lesson, looking at the world like a child, is sometimes the easiest solution to the problem at hand. Of course we need to think about grocery shopping, laundry, bills, and other adult things, but we also can’t get so caught up in being an adult that we forget about God.  I don’t need to worry about how I’m going to get through this or that, because “Look at the birds in the sky. They don't plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. You are more valuable than they are, aren't you?” (Matthew 6:26) God will take care of us, and sometimes, we adults forget that.

“A child doesn’t. They know God will heal them when they fall off their bike and scrape their knees, they will eat tonight, and they’ll sleep in a bed close to parents that love them unconditionally, just like God does. They say their prayers, and trust blindly that God is listening. How many times have we wondered if God was really up there? If he cared? I know I’ve asked myself that before. Sometimes we just get lost in life. The hustle and bustle and our little worries make us forget about what God can do for us. We are doubtful, because sin has entered us in the form of “adult responsibilities.”

“So even though flying takes “faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust,” life just takes faith. That is the best lesson that you have taught me, and I know beyond any shadow of a doubt, that with this in mind I’ve got nothing to worry about. Thank you for that, and for everything else that you have done for me (including the quilt that got me through my first night). I love and miss you all. Ruby”