Top Three Theological Topics for Teens: Forgiveness

St. Thomas Youth Group

5/5/2013

“The Top Three Theological Topics for Teens: Forgiveness”

Intro:

Hey everybody, it’s really good to see all of you here tonight. It’s a busy time of year with end of school projects, state wide standardized testing, proms, and end of season sports tournaments. With all that going on I’m proud of you for making your community of faith a priority. 

Prayer: 

Tonight we’re going to continue our series on “The Top Three Theological Topics for Teens”, but before we dive right in let’s start with a prayer: 

“Father God, you see your children growing up in an unsteady and confusing world. Show us that your ways give more life than the ways of the world, and that following your son is better than chasing after selfish goals. Help us to take our failures, not as a measure of our worth, but as a chance for a new start. Give us strength to hold our faith in you and to keep alive our joy as your creations. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” 

Review: 

As I said, tonight we’re going to continue our series of looking at some of the top theological topics and scripture passages that are relevant for teenagers in today’s world. Last week we looked at the verse “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak," and explored the theme of temptation. We saw that teens today are in a really tough spot and are uniquely vulnerable to temptation because of powerful sociological and biological reasons. 

Tonight’s Topic: Forgiveness

Tonight we’re going to build off of what we talked about last week and talk about failure. With so many pressures and forces against you, you’re going to fail, just like everyone does. Romans 3:23 says “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” That means that sometime in life, we’ve all screwed up royally, and that we’re in the same sinking ship. So tonight we’re going to talk about what happens when we fail. 

Video:

To kick us off in that direction I want to show you a short video created by a very creative and famous pastor named Rob Bell. 

Forgiveness Roadblocks: 

“Nothing you can do can make God love you any less.”… I think that’s kinda hard to really understand, at least it is for me. I think that’s partly due to the fact that if you grow up in the church you’re told constantly “God loves you” so much that eventually it has no real meaning anymore. 

I also think it’s hard for young people to grasp the power of God’s undeserved love for them because in this culture young people are constantly told that they are super special, that they are the key to the future, that they are the children of promise and full of world changing potential, that young people are the most precious things in the world, etc. If young people really are that important, then of course God loves you, and saying it is about as special as pointing out that the sky is blue or grass is green. It’s just not that interesting. 

The church and it’s weak versions of the gospel, and the sentimental culture have inoculated young people from the real meaning and power of the gospel’s message. 

"Those who are forgiven much, love much"

But if you’ve ever screwed up, I mean royally screwed up, then you know what God’s love really means deep down. So let me just talk for second here to those of you who aren’t perfect, you know who you are. Those of you who are perfect can just zone out for a while. 

You may feel that you’re the worst person in the world, or that you’ve committed the worst possible sin, you may feel ashamed, or disappointed in yourself, or you may have sudden attacks of anxiety and fear that someone may find out, you may feel isolated and that there’s no one you can talk to about the way you feel because you don’t want to reveal specifically what you’ve done, you may be overly defensive for no reason, or try to mentally justify your actions, you may be depressed and thinking about suicide, you may have an overwhelming sense of guilt like a dark cloud that fills the entire sky. 

The Good News: 

If that describes you then let me lay some good news on you.  In Romans 5:8 it says “In this God proves his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

And later Paul writes, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...No in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

In 1st John 1:9 it says “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” And in Proverbs 28:13 it says “No one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” 

Listen everybody, “Nothing you can do will make God love you less.” 

Conclusion: 

As a way of closing I’d like to share with you a song written by the christian band “Third Day.” This song literally changed my life one day when I was your age. The song is written from the view point of God the Father writing a letter to us his children. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Amen. 

Top Three Theological Topics For Teens: Temptation

St. Thomas Youth Group Reflection

4/28/2013

“The Top (Three) Topics for Teens: Temptation”

Intro:

Hey everybody, let’s start with prayer: “May the words of my lips and the meditations of all our hearts lead to pleasing lives in your sight Lord God. Amen.” 

Well it’s been quite a while since we last did this “regular” youth group thing. But now we’re basically back on track and so for the next few weeks instead of doing something awesome like having a soccer game you get to pray and sing together and hear me drone on about something boring :)

Series Intro: 

Tonight we’re going to be starting a new youth group sermon series called “The Top Ten Theological Topics for Teens.” 

Originally we were indeed going to spend 10 weeks looking at some great scriptures and theological topics, but as it turns out we simply had too much awesomeness happening this Spring and so instead of the “Top 10” we’re only going to cover “The Top Three.” And they really aren’t even the “top” three, but  simply “three.” Ok, so that’s a bit of a let down, but I still think this is going to be a good series, so let’s dive right in. 

Temptation: 

Tonight our topic is temptation.. I know, I know, a sermon to teens on temptation is weird, and awkward, and unbearably cliche. So just take a moment to breathe in the awkwardness, embrace it. I know that it’s odd an strange and uncomfortable, but what would a sermon series that purported to look unflinchingly at tough and important and relevant issues for teens be if it neglected to speak about something that teens deal with every single day? And what would a good sermon series be without a healthy dose of awkward? 

Teens and Temptation: 

Teenagers are specifically vulnerable to temptation for two reasons. 

1. Disenfranchised

The first reason is sociological. You guys live in limbo land: somewhere between childhood and adulthood. This has always been the case for adolescence, but it wasn’t until the turn of the 20th century when the time between childhood and adulthood was so protracted. From the time you hit puberty to the time where you are a respected, functioning, and productive member of society is almost 10 full years! The causes for this lengthy time in limbo land are because of child labor laws which prevent you from taking on full time jobs, and because all of you are required to complete 12 years of formal secondary education. Before the 20th century it wasn’t uncommon for most people to stop their formal education at 6th or 8th grade. In other cultures adolescence is only 2-3 years long and those cultures don’t show nearly the amount of trouble in teens as our cultures does. Teens in cultures where adolescence is only a short period of time don’t have a tendency to do drugs, use alcohol, sleep around, commit petty crime, argue with their parents, drive too fast, act irresponsibly, or swing wildly in mood. 

Our cultures’ extended transition time in adolescence is what causes a great deal of tension in the lives of teenagers, and contributes to why temptations are so great for you. There is simply a much longer list of things that you are not allowed to do, but what you may want to do or feel that you are capable of doing them. 

For example, you may have political opinions, but you can’t vote. You may want to have the freedom to go where you want when you want, but you can’t drive until your 16, and even then you're likely to be on a pretty short leash. You may want to buy what you want but you don’t have any money. You may have lots of energy and want to have your way, but you don’t have any power. You may have lots of ambition, but you don’t have the required education to compete in our post-industrialized society. You may want to have sex with your significant other, but you can’t get married. You may want to experience the effects of alcohol, but you can’t drink until you’re 21.

In sum, there’s just a bunch of stuff that you can’t do, but that you are probably tempted to do, and the reason why there’s so much that you can’t do is that in our society you aren’t adults yet. In our society it takes a very long time to become a competent and competitive adult, and unfortunately you can’t skip ahead and start trying to enjoy adult privileges before the time is right. Thus you are in limbo, and that’s a tough spot to be in, and it means that temptation is probably one of the biggest realities of being a teenager in today's world.

2. Neurological

A second reason why temptations hit teenagers especially hard is neurological. Not only does it take a very long time for our society to train you to be an adult, but living in the post-industrial society we live in has also altered your physiology. In comparison to non-industrialized nations in the world, or even our country a few hundred years ago, puberty now starts much earlier than it once did, about 4-5 years earlier. 

This change in the start date of puberty is important because the hormones that puberty turns on dramatically change some portions of your brain. Specifically it reshapes a part of the brain called the "socio-emotional network." This part of your brain processes information on rewards, especially social rewards. So basically, when the puberty hormones get ahold of this part of your brain, stuff just seems much more rewarding that it once did. 

For example, hanging out with lots of friends, and having lots of people like you, seems much more important and rewarding that it did in elementary school. Likewise, having individuals from the opposite sex enjoy your company is much more interesting. 

This is important when we are considering the topic of teenagers and temptation because normally there is a second part of the brain, called the “Cognitive Control Network,” which acts to suppress the urges of the socio-emotional network. The Cog Control Net deals with thinking ahead, controlling impulses, and weighing the cost and benefits of situations. If the socio-emotional network is the gas petal, the cognitive control network is the brake. If the socio-emotional network says “if you do something risky then everyone will like you”, then the cognitive control net says, “yes that’s true, but if you try a back flip off this cliff then you’re going to break your neck.” 

Unfortunately this second part of the brain isn’t affected by the onset of puberty, and instead develops slowly over a long period of time. Thus there is in fact a neurological reason why teenagers seem like they are out of their mind! Haha One part of their brain that wants social rewards and encourages risky behavior has developed almost 7 years ahead of the part of the brain that can actually control impulses and process good decision making!

Thus when temptations cross your path teens are especially vulnerable to them. 

Bad Solution: Will Power

Ok, so that’s kinda where we’re at and why I think talking about temptation in youth group is worth our time. But so what are we to do about it? 

One common answer is to simply grit your teeth and resist with all your might the temptations that surround you. I really really don’t think that’s the answer because human beings in general have very bad self control or will power. How many of us have made a new year’s resolution that lasted less than a week? Or how many of us have resolved to go more often to the gym, eat healthier, study harder, stop smoking, or stop procrastinating only to have that resolution broken within a few days? 

Yesterday, MC and I were grocery shopping and we were buying all kinds of healthy food; I even bought a V8! We were firmly on the healthy wagon, but then we went to Panoply and had servings of ice cream, a funnel cake, a gyro, and fried pickles. Psychologists tell us over and over again in their studies that people simply have very little self control or will power. If teens are to resist temptation then relying on will power is NOT a viable answer. 

Better Solution: 

A better solution I think is to simply run away. 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace." Psychological studies have proven empirically that Biblical wisdom. In tests of will power, those who distracted themselves or refused to look at the temptation scored consistently and dramatically better on the test than those who didn't. 

So if you want to resist eating a funnel cake at Panoply, don’t stand next to the funnel cake truck. You’ll loose that battle 9 our of 10 times, but if you walk to the other end of the park then you’re much less likely to be tempted by it. 

Likewise if you want to resist the temptation to abuse alcohol then don’t be around those who drink; if you want to resist the temptation to check your phone while driving then put your phone in your trunk; if you want to avoid the temptation of sexual intercourse keep your clothes on, etc. 

Conclusion with Good News: 

Before we close I want to say one final thing about temptation. As a teenager in this world you’re in a really tough spot and you’ve got some major sociological and neurological forces working against you. You are like sheep sent out among wolves, so choose your friends thoughtfully and hangout with those who will be good influences, talk with your parents about making good decisions, when you feel yourself being tempted get out of the situation, and finally remember what Jesus said: “It’s not what goes in that corrupts, but what comes out.” Everyone is tempted. I am, you are, your friends are, priests are, your parents are, your teachers are, even Christ himself was tempted. The enemy is out there wanting us to fail and fall. But being tempted is no sin in itself; what matters is what you do in response. 

Next week we’ll talk about what happens when we inevitably fail in our attempts at resisting temptation and look at what the Bible really says about forgiveness. Amen. 

Haranguing the Horrors of Hollywood's Halloween

As we approach the horizon of the high holiday "Halloween," I thought it would be helpful to put together some theological reflections on all the secular festivities surrounding our society's annual celebration of the underbelly of life.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "oh great, here's another ultra conservative, counter-cultural, kill joy who thinks that dressing up my daughter as a lady bug to score some candy from the neighbors once a year is somehow Devil worship or something." For sure there have been many to make such half-baked claims; but don't lump me in with them just because I'm writing here "against Halloween."

This harangue is not intended to parochially pooh-pooh the good ole gaiety that occurs at office/church/block costume parties, trick or treating, or carving jack-o-lanterns.

Rather, what I've recently been most disturbed by this Halloween is the ubiquitous glorification of violence, sadism, torture, and other horrific and heinous acts to the image of human beings in the horror movies that are being released these days.

How our society, much less Christ's Church, became so unreflective and desensitized to such things is absolutely baffling!

Parents of teens and children, PLEASE understand this: today's horror movies are not your father's oldsmobile type of scary films. Today's hit horrors (eg, "The Hills Have Eyes", "Human Centipede", "Texas Chainsaw", "Saw", "Hostel", etc...) make Hitchcock, "Halloween", and Fredi Cruger look like "B" rated parodies of their contemporary counter parts! The modern genre has pushed the envelope so far and benefitted from advances in digital graphics that its movies now even shock veteran horror movie directors!

Listen, if you're not the type to think theologically about life most of the time, at least employ some common sense for yourself and especially your teens/children: know what you are about to watch and stay informed (yes be "nosy") about what your kids are watching at their friend's sleepover. There are simply things in this world and in the perverted imagination of man that you (and especially your kids) never need to see and may indeed attach themselves indelibly to your memory.

This is the part of the argument where I would normally give a few examples and cite evidence for my case, but even brief or vague descriptions of such films is beyond the propriety of what even a consciously candid conversation can allow. Therefore I'll simply say that after viewing one such a film Roger Ebert reported, "The film is reprehensible, dismaying, ugly, artless and an affront to any notion, however remote, of human decency... It's simply an exercise in terror." Oh yea, did I mention he gave it zero stars?

Should the Church — ya know, the people who are baptized into a covenant that says we will "renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God, [and] respect the dignity of every human being" — fund, watch, be entertained by, or allow our children to be psychologically scared by films that are "an affront to any notion of human decency?"

Saying Something About a Local School Shooting

There was a gang related shooting at a middle school in my community last week, and this week the annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama will ask delegates to participate in an open discussion on the question "What does the Episcopal Church have to offer the world?" One of the delegates from my church caught me last Sunday and put these two event together in great question. Below is my response.

Hi Bob,

After some though, I have a better answer than “*shrug*” to your question “what does the Episcopal Church have to say in light of the shooting at Discovery Middle School?”

Because the Episcopal Church stands firmly in the ancient tradition of the Church, and because of it’s unique rich historical heritage it has many things to say about this tragedy and many resources to offer those affected by it.

What we can say and offer from our stance within the ancient Church?
At St. Thomas Episcopal Church we stand every week and join our voices with all the saints by proclaiming that we believe in God: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. We believe that God is three different Persons co-existing in perfect love, peace, and mutuality with other. There is only one God, but the Godhead is a community. This central and foundational dogma of the Church tells us much about why gang related school shootings are not part of God’s good future.

God’s good future is the location where “thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” God’s work through Jesus Christ is to remake and remould the world into His image: a community of different persons living in perfect love with each other. Gangs, tribes, armies, sexes, races, social-stratifications, and even nations have no place in God’s good future.

As Christians within the wider house of the ancient Church we Episcopalians therefore believe what we see displayed in this most recent school shooting is NOT God’s will, but rather another vivid example that God’s good future is yet still far off. Additionally, as the Church we count ourselves among those being transformed into God’s image of loving community and therefore we can not only identify, name, and speak about the shooting at Discovery, but we can offer the world an alternative to the violent world — a community where “there is no more Jew or Greek” (Gal 3:28).

What we can say and offer from our unique and rich Anglican heritage?
In addition to our rootage to the ancient dogmas of the Church, we Episcopalians have gifts and resources to offer this tragic situation from our unique and rich heritage as Anglicans. Being a church which overcomes division every week, the Episcopalian church knows more than a little about bridging violent differences. In the Episcopalian church there is a lot of elbow room for opinions among non-essential doctrines, and this climate of uncertainty causes quite a bit of tension, hurt feelings, and boisterous discussions; however when we are at our best we can still come together every week in worship and say to each other “the peace of Christ be with you.” When teens get sucked into gangs and decide to kill outsiders, the Episcopal church is location of a community that speaks a counter-narrative: “the peace of the Lord be with you.”

Hope that was helpful. Sorry for the long answer.
Best,
Steve
Ps- oh yea, and then there was that Bishop Tutu guy who dismantled a very powerful gang in South Africa!