Roots and Wings

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
--Revelations 4:11

"It... behooves me to look at how the Holy Spirit has worked throughout the centuries in the church.  The hymns, liturgies and prayers that have come down to us since New Testament times and even earlier enrich me with words and music used by Christians in many times and places.

"It is important for us who are raising children in the Christian faith that we give them roots and wings.  They need to hear the ancient words of the creeds regularly, and they need to hear intercessory prayers for immediate concerns in our individual faith communities.  They need to sing liturgical words like those from the verse above to old and new tunes, and they need to sing songs that are newly written.  Kids need to know the rhythms of the church year festivals and the unique traditions their own faith communities and families have created.

"We as adults should try to wrap children in a rich array of ways to be in relationship with God so they will always have something to hang on to when the way gets tough."
--Valerie Hess, "Spiritual Disciplines Devotional"

That's been the reason I got into Youth Ministry to begin with - we all have rough times.  Days of darkness, drudge, and drear...  And we all need to know that God is with us in those moments.  That there is a community of believers that are on the journey with us.  That we are never alone.

It's important to convey this message to the next generations in whatever ways we can.  Whether you have kids or not, you can help these young people to know the love and nurture of a faith community - share your walk with them, acknowledge them and let them know that they are seen and heard and valued.

They belong in worship - they belong in God's house.  How can you help them to know that this week?