Barneyisfat

Fred Rogers, everyone's favorite children's television host, won a lifetime achievement Emmy in 1997.  The award ceremony was a star studded gala.  The room was packed with A-list celebrities, and Mr. Rogers - Reverend Fred Rogers as he was known in some circles - seemed to be out of place amid the sea of plastic faces, nip-tucked beauties, and people who wouldn't leave their movie-set trailer for less than $40,000.  He kissed his pleasantly plump wife and walked up to the grand podium to give his acceptance speech.

He asked the people in the room to slowly think for ten seconds about the people who have had a strong, positive influence on them.  He stood there in silence as he watched ten seconds on his clock.

The proud and mighty before him laughed nervously at this children's activity, until a few began to take the task seriously.  In a matter of ten seconds, this large room full of Hollywood royalty had been reduced to tears of joy and hope as they remembered the people who shaped their lives and cared so deeply for them. 

Can we pause to stop and think for ten seconds about the people who have shaped who we are today?

[10 seconds]

Wendell Berry wrote, "Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias. Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,  that you will not live to harvest."

Parents, teachers, pastors, Sunday School teachers, volunteers, tutors, nurses, the list goes on and on of people, professions, and volunteer opportunities to invest all that you are into the next generation, the next wave of people. 

Jesus tells us that where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also.  Jesus commands us to make purses for ourselves that will never wear out.  What a beautiful image.  What a challenging teaching. 

What would it look like if we took our money out of investments that we couldn't ethically support, and invested that money into something greater and kinder?  Would our hearts be so heavy?  Would our purses wear out as quickly.  This is true of the United Methodist church and pension portfolios, but it is also true of each of us and our meager savings.  What if we took our money and invested in the millennium?

It amazes me how easily Christians jump on board with the idea of a pension and retirement account - our society demands that each person build a nest egg on which to retire - but this entire idea is contrary to our Gospel, isn't it?  Jesus who called us to give ourselves away, who called us to not store up our treasure on earth, who called us to come and take up our cross, to come and follow him, to come and die.  Jesus who died in his thirties because of his sacrificial love for us.  It is this Jesus who calls us to invest more wisely in the things that genuinely matter.

Some years ago, we sat around a table at a administrative council meeting to discuss the church's annual budget.  The pastor was a dear friend, and I only sat in on the meeting to learn how he did things.  The budget that year was over a million dollars, but the pastors felt that too much of the budget was assigned to maintenance and not enough was given to mission and vision.  The pastor asked this challenging questions, "If we were to take a vote today to close the doors and walk away from this church, how would you vote? The board was a mix of nervous laughter and outright offense.  Churches with million dollar budgets don't close their doors.  The pastor said, "Every vote that we take today is a vote to either close the doors in twenty years, or a vote to continue to be  a beacon of the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this town.  The board took a hard, line by line look at the budget an chose to move money around to create new ministries.    

There is much talk in our United Methodist churches about how to move forward, how to attract and keep the next generation, how to reach out well and disciple a new generation of people who can make new disciples. 

As a twenty something, I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to help my church move forward and to help my church understand my generation.  As a missionary, my full time job is to think about how the Gospel is presented so that those with a cultural background different than my own may be open to hear and receive the good news.  Without this careful thought and planning, it is not mission work.

And this is precisely the problem.  We have failed to engage this new generational-culture missionally.  We have failed to stop, think, plan, and prepare how to best present the Gospel for their ears and hearts to hear.   

I read this really interesting article on NBC news about nudists in America.  The official nudist organizations are losing tremendous numbers of people from their membership roles.  They aren't attracting enough new young people to replace the older ones. 

And this article was so interesting to me because it sounded exactly like every article I've read about the decline of the United Methodist church. 

Well, do we really believe that young people in America are less interested in being nude than older adults in America?  No, that's lunacy.  That's crazy.  But they are less interested in being on a membership role. 

Young people in America aren't any less interested in faith, or Jesus than their parents and grandparents.  Most of my friends who are close to my age are people of tremendous faith and spirituality.  Most friends my age have left the church. 

They feel there isn't a place for them.  They feel that something doesn't fit them.

I have one friend whose entire family is atheist - and he probably wouldn't fit in at most churches - but I keep reminding him that I think he would really like Jesus if he got to know Him.

As we talk about the future of the United Methodist church and young people in America - we must remember our highest calling is to share our faith.  I want to challenge you to do something incredibly risky and dangerous and scary today.  I want you to go home and plan a time to get together with a grandchild or child or other relative.  Have them over for dinner or give them a call. I want you to share with the next generation why church and faith matter to you.  You can invite them to join you in worship, but you don't have to beat them over the head with your religion.  Just tell them your story.  Tell them about a time when your faith made all the difference in your life.  Tell them why your faith matters. 

Think of your friends from this church who have gone on to glory - and think about their children and grandchildren.  Invite them over or write a letter, and tell them how much your friend mattered to you and how much faith mattered to your friend.  If they live in the area, invite them to join you in worship. 

This is scary stuff - but this is what my generation desperately needs.  We need to hear from people that we trust, that we can trust in Christ.  We need to hear that the church is still open to us, and that we are still welcome to come back whenever we are ready.

Those people who you thought about, those people who invested in you - that was their choice.  They made a decision to invest in you.  This is your choice.  This is your calling.  This is our church's future.

Amen.