Lucy (*) was 14 when she first came to our youth
group. I remember chatting with her after the meeting. She talked for
ages about her struggles – “no-one usually listens”!
And when I thought that life couldn’t get any worse for her, her
father was arrested and imprisoned. The family were devastated, but
planned to rebuild a life together when he was released in a year. It
was not to be though! After a few months, they moved away, plans for
divorce were being made and mum was planning to re-marry. Lucy’s
struggle, like so many young people I have met over the years, was to
go on. “Lord, how can we reach them? “
We are confronted with statistics today telling us that every week 3,000
children experience the pain of divorce. 200,000 mothers never see their
children. 700,000 children will never see their fathers. Worse is yet
to come. People are co-habiting more. Marrying less and much later.
Breaking up faster and more often. No-one seems to be clear anymore
what ‘family’ really means. And the results are that we
hear, and see, a growing hearts cry from young people which asks “Who
will love me? Who will give my life purpose? Where can I find peace?”.
Jesus gave His disciples this challenge from John 13 “A new command
I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if
you love one another”. But this kind of love wasn’t to be
reserved just for other disciples. He had previously told them that
the second greatest command of all was to love their neighbour as themselves.
Infact, even enemies had to be loved and prayed for. The now cliched
phrase ‘hate the sin but love the sinner” still holds true
– yet is not always practiced.
Our rapidly changing world forces us to take a good hard look at how
we reach out to young people today. In this mobile internet media revolution
we have to ensure that we don’t get left behind but remain relevant,
challenging and exciting to young people today. I wonder though if we
are in danger of spending too much time being relevant, perhaps organising
the next ‘great event’, and too little time building relationships.
Yet, I’m sure God would remind us that our greatest calling is
to love young people as He loves them. It’s this kind of love
that will lead them to Him. Relevance without relationship is useless.
Relationship with relevance changes lives.
If the Apostle Paul was writing today to those working with young people
in the 21st century I wonder if he would say something like this….
If I put on a great multi-media event for young people every month but
have no love, or
If I understand everything there is to know about youth culture but
have no love, or
If my church provides lively relevant worship to young people but have
no love, or
If I run a fantastic youth programme every week that tackles the issues
that young people face but have no love, or
If I empower young people to lead peer-led cell groups but have no love,
or
If I take my youth group to a huge Christian festival every year but
have no love, or
If I go into all the schools and run assemblies and lunch events but
have no love, or
If I provide training for those working with young people to help them
excel but have no love.
If I have no love – I am nothing but an irritating noise in the
ear of God
The kind of love that God wants us to have for young people
and children is “the most excellent way”. They deserve nothing
less.
