Hello again my friends!
I'm afraid I might live and work in one of the most over indulgent communities in the United States. I'm sure some of you out there would give me a run for my money, but Upper Saint Clair is an incredibly affluent community, and it's even getting to the point where several of the people we work with have this sense of entitlement, that they deserve what they're getting because of all the hard work they've put in and what not.
Admittedly, this is a tough place to do ministry in when you consider that Jesus on more than a couple occasions talked about rich people and how difficult it would be for them to enter the kingdom of heaven. When almost half the world doesn't have access to clean water and is forced to live on less than $2 a day, those of us who have water coming out of a tap are considered rich. But how do you get that message across to teenagers who are given a bmw on their 16th birthday? How do you teach them about what entering the kingdom of heaven really looks like? How do you instill kingdom values in them?
Simple. Tell them how much more they need.
Show your students how fulfilling it can be to offer help to someone who needs it. Show them how warm and amazing the smile of a person in need can be. Tell them how much richer your life is because you've made it your goal to bring the Kingdom down to earth. I firmly believe the problem isn't that our kids want too much. Rather, the problem is our kids don't want enough, or at least they want the wrong things. I mean, think about it. When Jesus invites the rich young ruler to give up everything he has, he's not inviting him to do so and then sit around wallowing in his nothingness all day. Jesus is actually inviting him to take part in something much bigger than his stuff. Jesus is inviting this man to follow him. Though our rich young friend didn't see it, this was worth more than anything he already possessed.
We need to tell our students how much more they need, and how much they need to rely on the gospel of grace. Then, and only then, will it be a little bit easier to do ministry in our affluent neighborhoods.
A little bit.
Godspeed,
Jason
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