The Hope that is in us

I'm reminded that why I called this blog "the Untied Church." I'm constantly struck by two things at the same time -- the implosion of the structured institution that I grew up with; and the astonishingly real ways in which God shows up in people's lives. The church is very much alive an kicking -- but it's become "untied" from many of the things we once associated with church.

Sunday was the youth confirmation service at my church. Seven 14 and 15 year olds stood up and promised to turn away from their sins and give their lives to Christ. They're great kids and it moved me deeply to see them making this thoroughly countercultural move. I preached on Peter's admonition to always be prepared to give an account for the hope that is in you -- realizing that to give that account makes you a stranger in the strange land of contemporary culture.

But what really blew me away were our adult mentors. Like many churches, we do most of our confirmation preparation one-on-one with adult mentors. I get told all the time that I'm taking a terrible risk allowing teenagers to meet one on one with an adult -- but you know, I don't give a good you-know-what. We're really careful about who we invite to be mentors and every year I'm more confident that it's worth it.

The mentors stand up and present their teen to the congregation, describing who he or she is a person, his or her interests, talents, gifts.

But it was listening to the mentors speak from the heart about the faith they saw awakening in these young people that moved me almost to tears. It was their faith -- their willingness to give an account of the hope that is in them -- that was so powerful. At least two of our mentors spent years -- decades even -- away from the church. Several of them have had, to say the least, circuitous faith journeys with all kinds of twists and turns. But I saw God powerfully at work in them. Seven adults with amazing spiritual maturity and giftedness. All of them well under the average age of United Church members.

Our congregation is, in many ways, a shadow of its former self -- institutionally speaking. But the power of God is evident in so many lives that I think we haven't lost a thing. It's reminded me that the church belongs to God, and God in God's good time form the church that God requires.