sermon excerpts: "Young Wisdom"

(Job 32: 1-22)
Three of Job’s friends spend entire chapters with no one convincing anyone of anything. Job thinks he is innocent and undeserving of such pain and loss, but will not curse God’s name. His friends think God is obviously punishing him for a terrible misdeed or moral crime.

Into this stalemate comes a new, fresh voice. Elihu expresses his anger with everyone: to Job, for being so self-centred, “poor me” and justifying himself instead of God; and with his 3 friends for being so inflexible and judgmental, presuming Job to be wrong even though they had no proof.

When it comes to public forums or debates, we may defer speaking our own piece until someone more qualified or educated speaks. But what happens when this person we’ve been waiting for doesn’t really say anything that amounts to anything? We can nod politely and go about the business at hand, or speak up and offer an opinion.

This is what Elihu does. Youngest of Job’s friends, he’s well-versed in the social order and permits his elders to speak first. When they miss the point, he is like a wine skin about to burst and has to pipe up. ... Elihu suggests wisdom comes from the spirit not from experience. We find wisdom in many places and many forms, not just a university degree or a mountain-top guru.

If we go by today’s numbers: 18-30 is the definition of youth, according to the World Council of Churches. At the end of this summer, I’m going to be one of the chaplains at Kairos 2008 which is a national youth and young adult conference held every 3 years for people in that age range. The Emerging Spirit ad campaign of The United Church of Canada attempts to connect with people 30-45.
Yet, if we consider the baby boomer generation, the focus of the population is going to be on the so-called “silver tsunami” as this sector retires from the work force with great effect on pension funds, the health care system and real estate. I’ve heard it described as a “rectangle shoved up the age pyramid”.

I’ve heard arguments and questions about why the church doesn’t throw all its resources at this renewable resource of retiring and aging people who have far more disposable income and discretionary time to the church than children, youth and young families. (I’m just repeating what I’ve heard).

But we value the fragility of youth and children – 3 years is an entire generation for a young person. When we consider how deeply the formative influences impact the rest of their lives from these early years, it is little wonder why the church devotes so much time and attention to nurturing these developing souls. Unless we reach them as youngsters, it’s going to tougher to find them as baby-booming retirees.

Based on the popularity of YouTube videos on the Internet, any number of on-line discussion forums and news comment features, kids have the ability and inclination to participate and get involved. Much like Elihu, they’re bursting to offer their ideas. From a lecture by Princeton Theological Seminary’s Kenda Creasy Dean: “Kids want to produce culture, they want to consume it, they want to respond to it. They are partners in creating their own experiences of culture. Which means, if they are not partners in creating their own experiences of church, the church doesn’t register.”

...Sure, we can fiddle with the order of hymns or style of prayers, but until we make stronger connections across the generations and pews, kids won’t want to partner in creating their own experiences of church.

... No church community is ever going to get it right, it’s never going to be perfect. There will be conflicts, personality clashes, differences of opinion, and outright mistakes made. But if we can include and engage people, younger or older, who are seeking a safe haven from the criticisms of the world, a place to ask questions, to wonder about God, to feel included, we can be the church as it was meant to be: the hands and feet of Christ, bringing the power of the spirit to all in need.