And it just struck me: It's not the church's job to engage young people or anyone. We totally have an entitlement problem in the church, in our country, and in the world.
We want to change everything else to suit ourselves.
I don't go to church to hear what I want to hear. That isn't the point of it. I don't want them to cater to me. I go to church to learn about the Lord and because it's the right thing to do. It has nothing to do with whether or not it's engaging or captivating.
"Find other things to do with their time." Yes. I have so many other things to do with my time. But I choose church, not because it's exciting and fun. But because it's important to learn about the Lord and to worship Him, even if I don't feel like it.
Today there was a fantastic sermon about rewards. Guess what? Good people don't get rewards here. The Lord doesn't want us to be merit seeking so He doesn't give us exactly what we want. In fact, people doing evil often prosper. If it were as simple as bad people immediately being punished and good people receiving immediate reward then it wouldn't be a choice anymore, would it? It would be compulsion, and the Lord does not force us to follow Him.
I loved church today because while I know this stuff I still needed to hear it. And it wasn't a cheerful sermon about how great I am and how much the Lord loves me. It was hard. It pretty much told me that a life of piety is really not as appealing as a life of sin. I don't go to church to be comforted and made happy. Life is hard, and being good doesn't produce rewards. So going to church, reading the Word, and being a good person can be a long, hard, uphill battle, but it will be worth it. I know it. It's just hard in the meantime.
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace; in the world you shall have affliction; but have confidence, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
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