When you were younger, who were influential people in your faith journey?
“The number one predictive factor as to whether or not a young Christian will retain his or her faith is whether that person has a meaningful relationship with an older Christian.” -D. Dyck
There is a temptation in the life of the Church to segregate the generations. However the Body of Christ is meant to be multi-generational as we work together to continue the work of Jesus in transforming the world. When generations collide – look out – great things will happen!
In today’s passage, Saint Paul shares how we are ALL adopted children of God. In God’s family, we are all equal and needed. What keeps us connected to the life of the Church is connection to the intergenerational family.
The people who have made the biggest impact on my life aren’t from my generation. C.S. Lewis said that friendship begins when one person says to another, “What! You too?” These highly valued relationships consist of mutual faith sharing, wisdom, wonder, and storytelling.
In a world where it seems that we are more divided than ever, what would it look like to reach out to someone in another generation in 2018? What would it look like to be willing to push through the discomfort, to be quick to listen and slow to speak, to seek common ground and appreciate differences? I’m confident that it would transform lives and bring the Kingdom of God closer to earth.
Peace,
Pastor Kate