Last week, I attended the Lutheran Church Misourri Synod National Youth Gathering in New Orleans, La. Of course, I went as an adult leader with a group of 22 students from my church's youth group. Having never attended a youth gathering before, I had no idea what to expect. Would it be serious and soulfully moving? Or perhaps more like a grown-up VBS? The event only happens every three years, so I figured I would go with an open mind and get the most out of it, and I really believe that I did.
Being Lutheran in the south is like seeing snow in Arkansas in July. It just doesn't happen. I go to a college which sits across the street from a baptist university surrounded by a plethora of tiny baptist churches in the heart of baptist country. You just don't see Lutherans. Upon setting foot in the Mercedes Benz Superdome the first night of our mass event, I came face to face with nearly 30,000 other Lutherans for the first time in my life. I'd rarely seen 100 Lutherans in one place, much less thirty thousand.
Not only did they congregate, they sang in worship together. They spoke in fellowship together. They prayed and high-fived and shared testimonies together. Regardless of your denomination, something so powerful happening in the name of Christ was absolutely breathtaking. It brought real tears to my eyes, and I thought that this was just a shade of what heaven must be like.
It was something I wanted my youth group to see. Some of these kids don't come from devout, loving homes. Some don't know what it means to be moved by singing praise or the kindness of a stranger. Or the power of hearing the word of God spoken through the lips of a peer — not an adult, but a fellow student. For many of these students, this was something strange and foreign and perhaps even outlandish. But this was the most beautiful example of true Christianity.
The sad thing is we weren't sure whether or not our group would be able to grow. My church is an older one, and our youth is detached because of that giant age gap. Because of the age in the church as well, not many of the students in the group were even members of the church, especially not through family. They were there because of our resilient youth pastor and because perhaps the Spirit was moving within them. But for many years, the youth group was little more than a place to have the students meet up if for nothing more than to keep them out of trouble. It was a dry season, as many groups as well as individuals can understand. Nobody was investing in them. Nobody wanted to listen to them.
I'm proud of those students and the pastor, because they spoke loudly and repeatedly until the church started listening. The community started listening. To the surprise of some, their parents started listening. For perhaps the first time, these students were being heard and were being cared for as absolute strangers invested in the opportunity for them to grow and learn in such an environment as I described before. In a glimpse of heaven.
What I learned is that if you give the youth a chance, they can really make a difference. Will they all get the most out of the experience? No, probably not. But if even one student comes away changed, isn't that worth the thousands it takes to send them? If their entire life is impacted by one moment of heavenly clarity spent while singing praise to our Lord while in the presence of 30,000 others also singing praises, wouldn't that be worth the effort? To let them finally see that someone cares enough to take the time?
I, as an adult, learned a lot at the youth gathering. Much of what I learned was personal and moving and beautiful but paled in comparison to this one revelation. If we invest in our youth within the church, we invest in our own walk with Christ. We invest in the future of the church and the life of the community. It doesn't have to be money, either. Time and care and smiles are worth as much to these students as anything you could possibly give them. Your care is the biggest down payment you could make to them. And let me tell you, it is worth the investment.
