I never cease to be amazed by the way youth is exalted in our society today.
It’s not that I don’t value young people. I believe that the energy and passion of the young are desperately needed in our world. I cheered the youth of the United States on when they helped Barack Obama win the presidency. I believe that the youth of South Africa are an immensely significant force for change, and hold the keys to addressing our current challenges. And when it comes to the Church, I often measure the health of a church by how strong, creative and missional its youth work is.
But, young people are still young people. One of the features of the current Millennial Generation is that they have vast amounts of information, and the most powerful technologies at their fingertips, but, simply because they haven’t lived long enough, they lack the life experience and discernment to sift through it all and tell the difference between what is good and life-giving and what is bad and destructive. The real longing of this generation - whether it’s recognised or not - is for mentors: older people who understand them, speak their language and connect with their world, but who can guide them through the labyrinth of information, ideas, changes and technologies that they face. They need fathers and mothers - ancestors - in the faith. And this includes those who are no longer alive.
In Chapter Eleven of the book of Hebrews, the writer tells the stories of the heroes of faith from the Scriptures. Then in the first verse of Chapter Twelve, he offers this encouragement:
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” (NLT)
The point is clear - our ancestors in faith offer us strength, encouragement and an example of how to live well as we seek to follow Christ. This week people around the world celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, but, of course, he is only one Christian leader among many who can inspire and teach us. From the great biblical saints, to those remembered in each age of Christian history, our ancestors in faith provide a depth and wisdom that we ignore at great expense.
One of the gifts of worship, is that it continually tells the stories of God’s activity in and through men, women and even children. This is not to say that we need to build our lives as carbon copies of these saints, but that, as we worship, we can learn, through them, who God is and how God operates. We can get a glimpse of God’s purposes in our world, and we can find the courage and hope, as they did, to take our place in God’s plan of salvation.
Last week I wrote about the challenges of “consumer worship”. One of the ways this pattern is changed, is by embracing the history and traditions of worship that Christians have used through the centuries. And it is our ancestors in faith, who lived this history and created these traditions, who can lead us into the meaning and life that they offer.
So, who are your faith ancestors? Who are the mentors that you turn to for wisdom and guidance? How can you honour them in your worship of Jesus this week?