ST.

JAMES EPISOCPAL CHURCH

US ON FOC
Matthew 7:24-26 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

OUTH THE Y
Volume 1, Issue 1 May 2011

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a 20th century martyr and theologian talks about CHEAP GRACE Have we built ministry on theological bedrock, or on the shifting sand of cultural relevance? (Kenda Creasy Dean in the book Starting Right) Friends, these theological rocks will help you to understand why I do youth ministry the way I do, or at least how I try to do it! Its all about what I believe about God and how that plays out in my life and my ministry as a disciple of Jesus Christ. ...is the preaching of fo r giveness witho ut requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion wi tho ut co n fe ssio n, absolution without contrition. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. - The Cost of Discipleship

Theological Rock #1: GRACE

20:1Read Matthew 20:1-6 The Laborers in the Vineyard
Its not fair! Youve worked for months on this project and while, yes, you did get an A so did your friend who only put in two days of work. All you can say is...Its not fair! Thats how the laborers in the vineyard were feeling. Jesus parable makes little sense economically and many would not consider it fair. But that was his point exactly. Jesus is teaching us his disciples about grace, although he never uses the word. We cant calculate the grace of God like we can a days wages or time spent working on a project. We receive grace as a gift from God, not as something we work hard to earn. GRACE is a divine gift, given to us by our God, completely undeserved. St. Augustine calls grace an unmerited divine favor. So what does the theological rock of GRACE look like in youth ministry? To begin with it is making sure that EVERY young person knows this: You are a child of God and God loves you for who you are and what you are! This means that you are loved simply because you are a child of God, not because you won the track meet or cleaned your room or got straight As. In this competitive world, grace might be a hard thing to swallow. However, at St. James grace means playing non-competitive games and not having the latest newspaper clippings of which youth won what award, for that shows our young people that they have to do something or achieve to earn our love and support. And thats not what were talking about. Still, it does not mean that you can hurt others time and time again and cry grace! It does mean being responsible for our actions. It does mean practicing forgiveness and acceptance and supporting every member of the group while inviting others into the circle.but that brings us to our next rock!

Check out the wording on these two slabs of theological rocks! EXODUS 20: 1-17

Theological Rock #2: EVANGELISM

Read Deuteronomy 4:6 and Isaiah 52:7
As he explained various laws to the Israelites, Moses often appealed to their unique calling as a nation. God had chosen them as a priestly kingdom and a treasured possession. The Deuteronomy passage describes yet another benefit to keeping the law: what we today call evangelism. The faithfulness of the Israelites would serve as an example to the nations around them, who would then be attracted to the true God. Isaiah portrays the incredible joy of carrying good news to those desperately hoping for it. Arent we all desperately hoping for that good news? What is evangelism? Some define it as verbally sharing the good news of Gods universal rule over all creation. Its not just talking the talk but walking the walk! Its telling and LIVING the good news of Christs salvation. So what does the theological rock of EVANGELISM look like in youth ministry? To begin with it is making sure that EVERY young person knows that they are welcome. At St. James our goal is to give our young people opportunities to learn the language of faith so that they are comfortable sharing their stories of faith their faith journeys so that they feel comfortable sharing them with others. Thats the first step. Its also really being present with one another, willing to listen to each others stories, each others joys and pains, being patient with one another and never giving up on any one.

Theological Rock #3: INCARNATION

1:1Read Matthew 1:23 and John 1:1-14
Theologian Shirley Guthrie states, the birth stories of Jesus emphasize that the Christian belief that God is with us is not just a beautiful idea or an abstract theological truth. It happened! John also tells us that it happened when he says that the Word became flesh and lived among us (Christian Doctrine 234). God gave us the incredible gift of Gods Son, Jesus, to show us the way! Incarnation is the fact that God actually became a human and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Augustine described the Incarnation as Gods accommodation to human limitations. Laurie Beth Jones, in her book Jesus in Blue Jeans, shares with her readers, many years ago I dreamed that I was standing in a meadow. Suddenly I saw a man approaching me. As he got nearer I gasped to realize that it was Jesus in Blue Jeans. When he saw the expression on my face he said, Why are you surprised? I came to them wearing robes because they wore robes. I come to you in blue jeans because you wear blue jeans. Just as Jesus spoke to his disciples in his native tongue, Aramaic, Jesus speaks to us today in our languages. Christ came into our communities so that we might know him. So what does the theological rock of the INCARNATION look like in youth ministry? To begin with its the realization that we are Christs hands and feet and body in the world today. At St. James we learn to look at one another and see the face of Jesus and build our relationships from there. Just remember the song, theyll know we are Christians by our love.

Theological Rock #4: WORSHIP

20:8Read Exodus 20:8-11 and Matthew 4:10
Too often in our culture we worship things other than God but yet there it is, engraved on that stone that Moses brought down that mountain for all to see. It seems as if other things get in the way money, sports, school, even family obligations take precedence over worship. So what is worship? It can be defined as giving reverence or honor to God. Are we doing that? Sure we might be going to church every Sunday, but while we are there are we thinking about what well be doing in an hour or are we loving and worshipping God with all our heart, with all our strength, and with all our mind? Christ calls us to worship in spirit and truth. So what does the theological rock of WORSHIP look like in youth ministry? Our faith is a communal faith. One of our goals is to worship together with the entire congregation, both young and old, on a regular basis. Its about worshipping God in all that we do and serving God only. Its about giving our young people the opportunity to lead and participate in worship services, not only as acolytes but as LEMs and LEVs and as preachers and as readers. Its also about worshipping in ways that are spirit-full and truth-full but may not be the norm. Its about exploring contemporary worship. Its about being a community of faith, with the highlight on community!

Theological Rock #5: SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES / CHRISTIAN PRACTICES

295:1Read Mark 12: 29-31 and Ephesians 5:1-2
Mark tells us what we need to practice...how to love God and our neighbor, and the writer of Ephesians tells us that we need to imitate God and live in love. Simple huh? Not! What are spiritual disciplines or Christian practices? Its inviting young people into a particular way of life. A way of life with God where one makes time for your self, your soul and for God. People do so in a variety of ways prayer, Bible Study, and meditating on Gods Word are some of them. Mark Yaconelli, author on spirituality and youth, says that , Christian practices are the means through which Christians seek to respond to Gods invitations of love. (Starting Right 156) God loves us...so now what? So what do the theological rocks of SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES and CHRISTIAN PRACTICES look like in youth ministry? Its the realization that were not just about entertainment. Its taking time when were together to ask each other what God wants from you today, what have you learned from today and how you want to change and grow. Its about creating rituals and traditions together of prayer and worship. Its going beyond our home comfort zones and engaging in mission work in the world.