For our Sunday morning Youth Gathering, I’m always looking to connect our teens with theological depth and biblical insight in a relevant way. So far this fall, we’ve completed a sermon series on Sabbath called “Refresh.” During the series we talked about finding rest in a restless world, something especially challenging for our youth who face many demands on their time and energy. We just began a new series called “Emoji Christian.” If you’ve sent a text message, you’ve probably used an emoji character, which symbolizes an idea or emotion. During this series, we’re asking the question: Is your faith just a symbol or something you take seriously?
This weekend’s Theologian-in-Residence, Brian Blount, is someone who has taken his faith seriously. As a professor and seminary president, he is also having a serious impact in the lives of future pastors and in the present life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Because Brian is such an engaging preaching and influential Christian leader, we will be making a special trip to bring our youth into the sanctuary to hear his sermon this Sunday.
Having heard Brian on several previous occasions, I can testify that he passionately responds to Jesus’ call in Mark 16:15, “Go into the world and proclaim the good news to whole of creation.” I am excited that our youth will hear a preacher with whom they can identify and who can inspire them as they explore their faith. Amid the fun and fellowship that youth ministry provides, we also endeavor to provide rich spiritual nourishment for our BMPC teenagers.
Our youth ministry’s mission is to “share Christ’s love together.” This Sunday will be a great opportunity to do just that as we worship together and are inspired to be stewards of the gospel in our lives and vocations.
