Christian "Praise" Music Reflection: Reaching our Youth

Chuck Spangler

Grace Memorial Parishioner and former Youth Christian Formation Teacher

     With the commencement of school each August, and the kids returning to Christian Education, I had a “stock” first Sunday:
     We would meet at PJ’s around 9:00.  After visiting PJ’s and imbibing in the refreshments, we would pack up and cram into my Ford F-150 and drive to Books-A-Million (BAM has a wide array of Bibles available). I instructed them to pick out a Bible they might like.  You would be amazed at how intense the search was for their “personal” Bible.  Once we left BAM, I also instructed them to put their new Bible in a convenient, if not a personal, location where they could easily fetch it when (and if!) they wanted to read it.  They were also given some other simple options for biblical study that is included on the “Your Words” handout.
     Each Sunday thereafter they were to bring their “personal” Bibles to our Christian Formation gathering so that they could find the scripture relevant to that day’s reflection.  If they forgot their personal Bible, I had a half dozen Bibles with me for them to borrow.  We took turns reading the scripture lines and discussed the message before embarking on the YouTube for that Sunday (I brought an IPad with me…and yes, occasionally the music did carry beyond our group and throughout PJ’s).
    The first Sunday YouTube selections were “Your Words” and “O Come to the Altar”.​

Your Words Grace Notes Reflection

O Come to the Altar Grace Notes Reflection

My purpose was to try to emphasize two important components in their journey toward Christ:

1. Read, study and embrace the Holy Scripture – thus my presenting “Your Words” by Third Day; and
2. Go to church…doesn’t really matter where you go or when, just do it! – thus my presenting “O Come to the Altar” by Elevation Worship.

Note: I had to preface our viewing of “O Come to the Altar” with an explanation of the method used by Elevation Church for baptism (full immersion of a believer 12 years old and older) that differs from our (Episcopalian) baptism (usually sprinkling of Holy Water on the forehead of a newborn).  I also wanted them to understand that some denominations raise their hands to symbolize welcoming the Holy Spirit.  Most of the kids had never seen a worship service so animated.
   
     While my insistence to disregard deep theology may be frowned upon by the learned (and maybe that includes our Diocese), I discouraged the kids from engaging in deep theological discussions, especially with members of other established denominations.  I explained it is relatively fruitless to attempt to “win the argument”, since nowhere in Scripture does our Savior exclude believers if those beings believe in Jesus Christ, confess and repent for their sins, and strive to achieve a close personal relationship with Him.
     Thus my two (2) recommendations above. Clearly it’s not really that simple, but a fledgling Christian believer should be able to turn to prayer, reading, and meditation…and the Bible is surely a viable starting point.
     Take it from my personal experience, your kids are not dummies!  The discussions frequently surprised me based on the depth of these teenagers.  Sometimes it took a couple of sessions for certain kids to open up, but there is no doubt that they were usually taking in the other comments and did not miss a beat.  
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Our children are truly a blessing to all of us.  They need (and want) spiritual direction.