Last article being re-posted today. Hope these have been encouraging and helpful. Scroll through this blog and find the other ones. I started re-posting them at the end of Sept 2015.
The original for this one was first posted here. Enjoy!
Editor’s Note: This is the last in a 12-part series on spiritual disciplines for youth workers, based on Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline.
As
I write this I am preparing to head out to the birthday celebration of
my favorite one year old in the world, Bryn, who is the daughter of dear
friends of mine. She was born on 11/1/11, and we all giggle at that
because she is definitely number one in our hearts.
At the same time, I know I will sit back at some point during the day
and chuckle at how many adults are there, celebrating an event that
Bryn will most certainly not remember! In some ways it is tempting to
ask, “What is even the point of having a birthday party for a one year
old?!”
I can tell you the answer: Because
everyone loves a party! Personally,
I can never have enough cupcakes. How about you? We are wired to
celebrate with those we love, whether it is a birthday, an anniversary, a
graduation, and even a life well-lived as we grieve the loss of a loved
one.
Even as I type the word “celebrate” I have many fun memories popping
into my head: lighting fireworks with students during service trips to
Guatemala; a surprise birthday for me put on by friends; hearty
laughter, to the point of tears, when hearing a really funny story…These
are foretastes of heaven, where we will be free of suffering because
God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more
death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has
passed away.” (
Revelation 21:4)
In anticipation of such a blessed eternity, as believers we are called to
practice for heaven now. The spiritual discipline for this practice is called
celebration. Richard Foster, who has guided our discussion for these last twelve months, defines its crucial role:
Celebration is central to all the Spiritual
Disciplines. Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become
dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees. Every
Discipline should be characterized by carefree gaiety and a sense of
thanksgiving.
He goes on to say that celebration is an expression of the fruits of the Spirit, especially that of
joy.
But as we well know, joy is not the same as happiness. Joy comes from
living a life of obedience, conforming to the call of God on our lives,
seeking to be fulfilled by service to Him and selflessness to others.
What does this look like for us who serve in youth ministry? Sadly, I
believe we have erred in thinking our primary job is to show our
students that being a Christian can be fun, and proceed to fill our
meetings with gross and wacky games and little else. While I have used
my share of shaving cream over the years for a pie or two in the face, I
know that silly games are going too far when that is what students are
talking about at the end of the night, rather than whatever discussion
was a part of the evening. I believe that is setting the bar far too low
when it comes to serving the young people we know.
Instead, see the spiritual discipline of celebration as an
opportunity for us as youthworkers to really make a difference in the
lives of the young people we work with. As you already know, “partying”
is highly valued by youth culture–they think they already know how to
“celebrate.” Rather than letting them settle for shallow expressions of
fun, I believe the last chapter of
Paul’s letter to the Philippians give
us an outline of how to do this:
Respect
I will be the first to admit that it is so tempting to trivialize the
concerns of teens, whose drama every week can tend to focus on the ups
and downs of friendships or who’s dating who. Nevertheless, these are
the immediate concerns of our young people, and to dismiss them is to
ignore what swirls around them. Instead, respect their young and limited
perspective, coaching them into sharing their concerns, though
seemingly trivial at times, with God. As it says in
4:6-7,
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As young people sense
they are known and heard, they feel loved.
Recognize
Verses 4:8-9
are straightforward:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the
God of peace will be with you.” Time and again I have had students thank
me for remembering their birthday, attending their performance, or
noting one of their achievements in front of the entire group. I had a
parent tell me the other day how her children noted the difference
between two different youth leaders in the community: one of them only
saw their daughter if she attended his activities; the other leader made
it a point to go to as many of her games as possible. Not surprisingly,
she felt most connected to the latter. Active attendance at students’
events becomes a real challenge as your group grows, but it becomes all
the more crucial for us to equip our volunteers to understand how much
this means to the teens we know.
Reality
We are being dishonest if we pretend that life is always puppies and
rainbows with our students. I never fail to be stunned at the gravity of
issues that I have experienced with young people over the years:
suicide, cancer, deathly car accidents, addiction, eating disorders,
abuse, pregnancy, gang violence, sexual affairs with adults…the list
goes on and on. To teach our students to celebrate, we also have to show
them how willing we are to be with them in the depths. Paul teaches me
so much in these few verses (
4:10-13):
“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern
for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show
it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I
have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,
whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
As we walk through
all of life with our students, we then “earn the right to be heard” and can teach them how to truly “rejoice in the Lord” (
4:4), opening themselves up to true and eternal celebration. What a privilege!
This concludes the year-long series on spiritual disciplines. The
goal from here is to seek after deeper intimacy with Christ on your own
and in community, teaching the youth around you to do the same.
My challenge to you
Set aside some time soon to review all twelve of the
classic spiritual disciplines. Even better, pick up a copy of Richard
Foster’s
Celebration of Discipline and learn more for yourself.
As you read, listen for the promptings of the Spirit as to which
discipline(s) you need to grow in next.
Remember, for us as followers of Christ, the church year begins the
Sunday after Thanksgiving with Advent, which is coming soon.
What if a new goal included the intentional practice of the spiritual disciplines? Take some time to pray over this question and make covenant with God.
Caught this shot on my scooter (don't worry, I was safely parked) on the way home from Trader Joe's. I had some chicken and green chile tamales and a stalk of brussels sprouts strapped on the front basket, and this glory unfolded in front of me. #nevergetsold
