Author: Pastor Aleese Kenitzer

Often I hear questions along the lines of: “where are the kids/youth in church today?” Admittedly, often I hear this question voiced with a pinge of grief – recognizing that an era of Sunday School classrooms filled with dozens of kids might not be our current reality. But the truth is, our kids/youth are still connected to their faith…just perhaps not in the traditional ways we might anticipate. 

This past week, thousands of youth and young adults gathered for the ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Young Adult Gathering. Throughout the week, the Gathering made it easy to follow along on social media while also sending out blog updates of what youth, young adults, and leaders were up to (check out the links to learn more!). But in all that I read, and all that I witnessed through a screen, what made the most impact on me was that youth and young adults in the world around us are on fire. They are passionate. They are filled with the love of God. They are looking for ways to serve and give of themselves in the world. And they are looking for ways that they can be brave, authentic, free, and disruptive, just as they learned each day at the Gathering. 

The question for us – for those of us who weren’t at the Gathering, and for those of us who might be of a different generation from our youth and young adults – is: will we receive them as they are created to be? And, will we listen to them as a part of the church? Will we accompany them, encourage them, and bless them as they discern how they are called to live out their unique identity? 

Each day, whether as a part of a formalized church event or not, we have the opportunity to intersect with our youth and young adults. They have much to teach us. And, we have the opportunity to uplift them by seeing them and speaking well of them. Might youth and young adult ministry look different now than it did decades ago? Yes, hands down. But our youth and young adults are still around…and are still seeking the truth of Jesus Christ. 

This past weekend within worship we focused on prayer. It’s foundational to Christian discipleship; it’s something we are encouraged to do throughout Scripture; and it’s something we practice often in worship. 

But then what does it mean to “pray always”?

In our reading from 1 Thessalonians, Paul encouraged the people to do just that (along with a whole list of other things). So that does that mean that we need to keep our hands folded all day? (would be challenging to get anything else done!) Not quite. In the words of Ronald Rolheiser, author of our summer Book Club book Sacred Fire, he writes:

“To pray always invites us to live our lives against a certain horizon.  It does not necessarily mean to stop work and go to formal prayer, important though that is at times. The point is that we need to do everything within the context of a certain awareness, like a married man who goes on a business trip and who, in the midst of a demanding schedule of meetings and social engagements, is somehow always anchored in a certain consciousness that he has a spouse and children at home. Despite distance and various preoccupations, he knows that he is ‘married always.’ That awareness, more than the occassional phone call home, is what keeps him anchored in [his relationship.]” (175-176). 

In essence, with our relationship with God, it’s the same. We “pray always” by approaching our life with the awareness that we live in relationship with God. And with that awareness at the forefront of our minds, then how we live is transformed and becomes a mode of prayer.

So this week, anchor yourself in an awarenes of your consistent relationship with God. Though we may falter at times, our God is faithful and generous, and our God is always seeking to live in relationship with us – not just at certain times of the day, but throughout our days. 

Last week I had an intriguing conversation with a friend, who asked me how left-handed people play the violin. Admittedly, having answered this question from beginning violin students numerous times, initially I rolled my eyes, but then proceeded to explain that there isn’t a “different” way to play the violin. Both the left and the right hand are just as important. But this friend just wouldn’t stop pursuing it; leading his wife to start Googling if it was possible to play the violin on your right shoulder rather than your left. And indeed, Gooogle said it was possible (and we believe everything Google says, don’t we?!) But just not buying it, I retorted back, leading to getting my instrument out and trying it for myself. Evidently, the faces I made while I tried holding my violin a dfferent way were quite entertaining. But over and over I kept saying, “This is just so wrong!”

It was a silly conversation. But it made me realize just how quickly I became defensive. And it made me realize just how easy it was for me to become entrenched in my own thinking and habits rather than exploring anything else. 

This past Sunday, we heard in our Gospel story that the people in Jesus’ hometown rejected him. It might seem strange to think that people rejected Jesus, but what Jesus was teaching and doing was completely different than what they were used to…and what they were expecting. So rather than accept Jesus, they were offended by him. And because of their offense, they couldn’t receieve Jesus’ deeds of power that he was doin’ everywhere else. 

So where does that leave us? Well, I wonder if there are things that Jesus says that also offend us. It might not be our gut response. But, when we’re pushed to consider habits that we’ve held onto for years, it might be easier to be offended by Jesus’ commands rather than change. Or, when we’re challenged to consider how we live together as community – as church – and when we recognize that it might be different than we expected, it might be easier to be offended rather than accept something new. And, when Jesus commands us to look upon others with compassion, love, and dignity, it might sound great on the surface, but when we realize that that also means having compassion for the migrant, the foriegner, the people who look different than us, the people who’ve hurt us, it might be easier to become offended rather than take Jesus at his word. 

So why listen to Jesus at all, then? Because through Jesus, we are promised that we will receieve more than we could ever ask for or imagine. Indeed, we are promised that we will be given life, healing, and forgiveness. 

So, are we willing to receive what Jesus has to offer us, even if it takes us back a bit? And, are we willing to receive the words of Jesus? The gift will always be there, but the choice to receive…is all up to us. 

By this point, you may have seen pictures from the Elementary and Preschool Christian Day Camps that’ve been going on (please keep our middle schoolers and volunteers in prayer this week as they head to Saulsbury!). There have been a bunch of activities the kids have loved, but one of the favorites has proven to be fishing.

Unfortunately, this year we had a bit of an accident, however. One of the campers fishhook got stuck in the arm of another camper. Now, most often, this would be reason for a child to freak out. But instead, the camper – Lydia – was as calm as a cucumber. She knew that she couldn’t fix the situation on her own, and she knew that thrashing around would only cause more harm and damage. So, Lydia chose to remain calm, and she chose to trust those in authority to help.

This past Sunday, as we explored the story of Jesus calming the storm on the lake, we made the connection that Jesus’ disciples would’ve had something to learn from Lydia’s response. In fear, the disciples cry out to Jesus. Which, on some levels might suggest a lack of faith. But in the moment, once they recognized that they couldn’t solve the problem on their own, even they reached out to one who had more authority than they (indeed, the one who has authority over all things!). And in that moment, even there – in the boat, in the midst of the storm – Jesus proved to the disciples that God was present, and the disciples were given a front row seat to witness what God could do for them. 

For ourselves, whether we find ourselves amidst calm or troubled waters,God also comes to meet us right where we are. God doesn’t chide us for the level of faith that we do or don’t have. But, God does desire for us to trust, rather than turn to anxiety, so that we don’t hurt ourselves even further. 

So trusting that God is with us, what would it be like for us to seek out our Teacher – our Lord – who is in control of the earth, the sea, the sky and all there is? What would it be like to entrust ourselves, the ones we love, the church, and even the world, into the hands of the one who was there even as the foundations of the earth were created? Indeed, what would it be like to be a Lydia – remaining relaxed in trust – even as the storms rage? 

To trust in such a way won’t be something we can “achieve” overnight, not even something we can do on our own. But as we, like the disciples, follow after Jesus, we will experience for ourselves what the Lord can do, and we will be invited to witness the one whose power is over all that is. 

Growing up, dandelions (though a weed!) were a favorite “flower” to pick.  My mother and grandmother were often the recipients of such bouquets. Later on, I learned that, to many, dandelions are nothing but a nuisance. But as a child, I saw them differently: I saw them as something special, something worthy of admiration. 

This past Sunday, we heard Jesus’ parables of the growing seed and the mustard seed. Within that, we were challenged to consider how God’s kingdom, breaking into our midst, isn’t always something that is domesticated, neat, and pristine. Instead, God’s kingdom is like a weed – relentlessly invading every square inch.  So do we mow down the “weeds” of God’s kingdom, trying to eradicate them? Or, do we take the time to gather a bouquet of “weeds” – seeing them as something worthy of admiration?

If you missed worship with us, check out our recording on our YouTube channel, and, as you continue through your week, keep your eyes open for the beauty of God’s kingdom among you…even if it seems a bit weed-y. 

Have you ever had someone exclaim to you, “You’re crazy!”? It might be because of something you said, something you did, or something you’re thinking. Sometimes the exclamation is justified (at least, I’ll own that for myself!) And other times, the exclamation is a result of another person not quite understanding why you are choosing to say, do, or think that you’re saying, doing, or thinking. 

In that same vein, this weekend in our Gospel lesson, Jesus is labeled as being “crazy” – or more literally, “out of his mind.” What Jesus has been saying and doing hasn’t alligned with what people expect of him, and the religious leaders of the day couldn’t understand where he was getting all his power. So, the logical conclusion they make is that Jesus must be possessed by a demon. We know that’s not the case; Jesus is possessed by God’s Holy Spirit. But it is that Spirit at work in him that is leading him to say and do the things that those around him are labeling as crazy.

Two-thousand years ago, the people around Jesus had every logical reason to call Jesus crazy because what Jesus was proclaiming and enacting as a part of the Kingdom of God was different than what people were used to, and different than what people expected. And yet, what Jesus was pointing to was the truth of God’s Kingdom on earth. 

So today, as we claim the name of Jesus for ourselves,  it very well may be that we too may be called crazy. Following the values of God’s Kingdom, we might be called crazy for building bridges, and we might be labeled idealists. We might be called crazy for striving for inclusion, diversity, and equity for all people. And we might be called crazy for giving ourselves, fully, to God and God’s will. 

Point being: to follow after Jesus is kind of crazy. But in union with Christ, it is there that we will be caught up in the work of restoring the world according to God’s vision, and we will be caught up in the crazy, crazy love of our God for us. 

So this week, lean into the crazy love of Jesus for you. And consider how Jesus is calling you to live into his crazy love in what you say, what you do, and in who you are.