“Sharing the Gospel, Side by Side”

On Sunday, January 25th we gathered around God’s Word with members of our Resurrection family of all ages!  January of this New Year has been a youth emphasis month.  I hope this begs the age-old Lutheran question in each of us, “Youth emphasis month…what does this mean?!

The response begins with January’s monthly memory verse, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to God’s Word.” – Psalm 119:9

The application of God’s Word and the intimate connection between Matthew 28:18-20 and Deuteronomy 6:4-9 looks like it did last Sunday.  Several of our youth were provided the opportunity to prepare a devotional reflection on the following: God’s Word, God’s Forgiveness and God’s Finished Work of Salvation in Jesus Christ for us.

The joy of this monthly emphasis on youth was realized as these youth shared what they had learned from God’s Word.  As I shared on Sunday, they had the nerve to set my templates and my suggested Bible passages to the side and search God’s Word diligently for themselves as they prepared their reflections.

People of God, my family in Christ…do we realize how great it is when our youth search God’s Word as they’ve been taught?!  Youth, children of our Resurrection family are putting into action what they are being taught in their homes by their parents, what they are being taught in Sunday School & Confirmation Class and what they are being taught when the come together with us in the Divine Service around God’s Sacraments!

Hopefully you were eye-witnesses of this joyful occasion last Sunday.  If not, may this be a gentle reminder of why regular (weekly!) worship, gathering around God’s Word together is so important for all of us.  Every time we gather around God’s Word we rejoice because God’s Word is living and active.  God promises that His Word will never return to Him without fulfilling His purpose (…I think I’ve heard that somewhere before).

What a joy it is every week to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, side by side.  What a blessing it was to be eye-witnesses to our own high school and confirmation youth behaving like those Bereans this past Sunday.  “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the Word with all eagerness, examing the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” – Acts 17:11

We look forward to the next time we gather with YOU around God’s Word, God’s Sacraments and all of God’s Promises!  See you this Sunday and every Sunday between now & Kingdom Come.  We can’t wait for you to experience God’s Word speaking through us AND through our children at the next Youth Sunday.  What a joy it is to share the Gospel side by side with our entire Resurrection family, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!