Youth Sunday October 30, 2011 “More Than” Chris Kester I Timothy 4:11-14

When youth decide to go on a mission trip one of the most important things they do is raise money. It’s a lot of work, but the congregation is typically very supportive. As a congregation, we get it. We understand the importance of youth deepening their faith through serving others and let’s face it; it makes us feel good to know we’re supporting mission and youth at the same time. Raising money for a youth conference is not as easy. As a congregation ,we don’t get it. What is this conference? What will the youth do there? Will they be serving others? If not, why should we give money for them to attend an event if they won’t be in mission?

I hope now that you’ve heard some of our stories, you have a better understanding about what Youth 2011 was and how it made a difference in the lives of our youth. I’d like to wrap up our time together by sharing why I think conferences like Youth 2011 are important. I have often heard people say “We don’t have any youth.” Clearly, we have youth. Only two of the youth you see here this morning are new to the youth group and that is because they are just now old enough to be part of the youth group.

Still, I can understand why people might think we have no youth – they are rarely seen Sunday mornings in worship. Let me see if I can shed some light on that issue. Imagine with me for a moment that you love God; that shouldn’t be too hard, I hope! Imagine you love worship and you long to learn more about what God wants for you and how God wants you to live your life. Imagine you’ve heard there is this really loving church on 12^th Street, where the people are friendly and everyone loves God, just like you do. You show up prepared to worship and go deeper in your faith, only to discover none of these nice people speak your language. They only speak Russian! You try to communicate, but it tires you out and there is no way to achieve any meaningful conversation about God or anything else. That’s a little bit what worship is like for Youth. Because youth speak English and look similar to us, it is difficult to understand they come from a completely different culture, unlike anything most of us have ever known. If we were to think of youth as a mission field, people of faith who do not speak our language, how would we reach out to them? To begin with, we wouldn’t have worship at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. We’d have music that sounded like music they like to listen to and we’d have speakers who could speak to the pain and confusion they experience in their lives every day.

Please, please, please . . . do not think I am criticizing our worship, I’m not. I like our worship. At the same time, I recognize our form of worship does not speak to a significant part of our congregation. It is often said that “Youth are the future of our church.” Some people are quick to point out, “Youth are not the future of our church, they are the now of our church.” I think both statements are true. Mainline churches in this country are dying faster than we can keep up with, so although youth are part of the present church, in a very real sense they are also the future of our church and if we have any hope of the church living beyond our years, we must reach out to the mission field of youth. THAT’S why youth conferences like Youth 2011 are so important. For many of the youth who are here this morning, Youth 2011 or for some, Youth 2007 was the first time the language of God was spoken in their language. These conferences that only happen every four years, provide a glimpse into the future for our youth and give them hope that their faith, their denomination is relevant and meaningful for them. The good news for us is that a brief, once-every-four years, glimpse is enough for them. Well, it CAN be enough, when it’s combined with a strong youth program that nourishes their growing spiritual development during the years when the Youth Conference doesn’t happen.

For several weeks now we’ve been talking in worship about stewardship. Soon, you will be asked to declare how you plan to support Morningside United Methodist Church. I pray that as you consider your pledge you think about the mission field that exists right here. I pray you consider how God is calling you to live your life and what God is calling you to do. I would like to point out that God calls us to give ourselves wholly to God. I don’t think that means we need to give all our money, all our possessions to the church, but it does mean our whole heart belongs to God and when our whole heart belongs to God, every thought and action must be directed by that love. Stewardship is about MORE THAN money, it’s about living our lives out of that passionate love. It’s about sharing our gifts and talents as well as our wealth. It’s about making phone calls and filing paperwork. It’s about mowing the lawn, baking cookies, knitting, taking photos, sewing and teaching. There are as many ways to support Morningside as there are people in this church today.

I know many of you have given generously to Morningside for years and some of you are no longer able to give as generously as you have in the past. I know some of you HAVE mowed the lawn, baked cookies, made phone calls and taught Sunday School and you just can’t do it anymore. Thank you. Seriously, thank you. Please do not think I am suggesting you give beyond your means, but even those of us who can barely move can still pray, right? And you know what would be a wonderful gift? The next time you DO see a youth, say something kind to them! Ask them what’s going on in youth group. Ask them about some of the people you saw in the video. Who WAS that barefoot guy with a chair? Who was that hairy, scruffy man? Ask them if you can pray for them. If they say, “no” pray anyway!

Paul’s words of advice to young Timothy are as true for our youth as they were for Timothy. Paul knew Timothy loved God and told him to let his actions speak for him. We teach our youth the same thing, “Let your behavior, your love of God speak for you.” It is true for us as well. How we live our lives, the choices we make, even our thoughts speak more clearly than any spoken language ever could. Our choices help us become “More Than” we ever thought we could be and require no translation. At Youth 2011 the youth were asked if they thought they were ordinary. They learned they are worthy of God’s love and “More Than” their age and “More Than” they thought they ever could be. As you consider your pledge, remember you are also worthy of God’s love and ask yourself how your pledge can help you reach a mission field that is “More Than” ordinary. Thank you for letting us share this time with you. Amen.