It was 1945. A leader in the British military, Lieutenant Gonin had been charged with liberating Bergen-Belsen, a Nazi concentration camp. When the order was handed down, Gonin reveled in the thought of rescuing those with one foot already in the grave. Yet after a few days his thoughts became nightmares that flashed images branding his mind forever.
Images of corpses piled high, faces indistinguishable. Images of men, women, and children collapsing as they walked—destined for the heap. Awake, these images fatigued him. As he slept, they exhausted him further.
The next day a large shipment of supplies arrived. Despite the need for the basics—food, clothes, and medicine—a large quantity of lipstick was crammed into one of the crates.
Momentarily furious, Gonin’s fuming quickly turned to elation. “We were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don’t know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was . . . sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets . . . but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket . . . , but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm.”*
Finding It
Each year millions of dollars are spent trying to convince young people that this shirt, song, or style is the difference between being accepted or ostracized. They’re deluged with lies telling them that their identity is what they wear, instead of who they are. The problem is they don’t know who they are, and they often see the church as nothing more than a spiritual concentration camp.
It’s not that our intentions are bad. In fact, we want young people to grow and thrive. They just need to do it in our box, looking and behaving as we think they should to fit our tastes.
When Jesus first encountered the fishermen, He ignored their crudeness and vulgarity. He never told them to change; He simply showed them a better way to live.
As we work to retain and reclaim young adults, Jesus is a pretty good place to start.
- Build a spiritual identity grounded in Jesus. By centering our sermons, Sabbath school lessons, and Bible studies on the life of Jesus, we showcase the practical outworking of God’s kingdom in young people’s lives. The foundation for their identity is built upon His love and sacrifice.
- Form a social network of believers. The old adage of being Seven-day Adventists rings true: If church is the only time we interact, our community will crumble. If the church doesn’t meet that need, young adults will find a place that does. Start a softball team, host a cookie decorating night, or plan a midweek pizza outing. Connect the church to real life.
- Emphasize practical service. Applying the principles and values of the kingdom of God means being actively involved in mission work. Whether locally or internationally focused, our church should be a community that strives to serve. Through this kind of frontline outreach, young adults grow by tangibly being Jesus to the world.
I, too, see images: I see a young man, hat backwards, stumble out of a bar in a nightly quest to fill the void. Then there’s the pretty blond, surrounded by her church family, yet totally alone in the crimson pew.
One has taken the gloves off; both are searching for an identity.
These images need to exhaust us, fatigue us, and drive us to action. We don’t need a crate of lipstick; we already have the Answer.
_________
*From the diary of Lieutenant Colonel Mervin Willett Gonin, DSO.
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3 comments:
You use some vivid, stark images extremely well here, Jimmy. Thanks for sharing. Best to you on your new blog venture!
--Your old prof and friend
Jimmy! I found a few spare minutes in my morning rush, can you believe it? I feel that what you're saying about preaching Jesus FIRST in our church is exactly what we need to do. The times I have walked into church and listened to a "thou shalt not" sermon is countless...and I can only imagine what new or non-believers feel when they're in that pew. I also feel very strongly that we as a church need to be missionaries - in our backyard. I've flown a lot in the past few weeks and I've had the opportunity to talk with some people next to me (although I really wanted to sleep...haha). The subject of religion came up a few times and in both cases neither person really knew who SDA's were,(one actually confused us with Mormons...and I think that happens often). I thought that it was a perfect example of why we need to be out in the community. Not to preach our doctrines but to show PEOPLE that we as Christ-lovers are also people-lovers. Actions, I say, always speak louder than words. Having said that...it's easier (even for me) to say that we need to be in the community. The hard part now is doing it.
Great blog Jimmy! Hope your week is going well!
Jimmy, I couldn't agree more. Our church has lost sight of the amazing story of the life of Christ. Jesus didn't gain progress in his mission by teaching and preaching doctrine, he did it by his love and his example. If our young people could see and feel the love of Christ then we can hope to see a brighter future for our youth today. In a world where so much rests on the ability to fit in and keep up we need strong leaders who are able to adopt the youth of this generation and present a new model of acceptance. One that begins with understanding that God standards are the only ones we should be worried about living up to. This can all be understood by allowing others to see how living by his example can meet our needs and leave us feeling completely satisfied and a part of a spiritual support system.
Thanks for sharing this and seriously...keep it up!
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