And here’s something a little different to share with your teenagers or teens at your church.
Have
you ever heard of a life of unceasing prayer? It doesn’t mean that
you’ll have to buy knee pads or clear your throat now and again to make
sure you still have a voice. Prayer isn’t just a silent petition to
God. It’s actually being in a relationship with God. We do that in all
sorts of ways.
People
often talk about Jesus as having lived a life of unceasing prayer~and
from what I can tell from the gospels, most of the time he wasn’t silent. In fact, he liked a party just as much
as the next person…even a fish-fry on the beach. His first miracle in the Gospel according to John,
in fact, was to turn water into wine at a wedding in Cana! And he was
always asking people for dinner~not other rabbis or the people who
walked the straight and narrow~but tax collectors, the poor, the
low-lifes of society. Prayer means being in relationship with God and
other people.
Sure,
Jesus knew that sometimes he had to get away from it all. Have some
quiet time with his Father. And he did go off by himself to do that. We
all need that time alone….to remember who we are….make sure we’re
listening to God’s voice. And I bet you already do that. Getting away,
for you, might be listening to your favorite music on your iPod. I
often blast music while I’m driving. It helps me to tune out the loud
voices in my head. You know, the ones from culture that tell you you’re
not good enough or not doing this or that right. If I’m hearing those
voices, I have a harder time hearing God tell me that I’m loved no
matter what. So, I turn up my stereo (often with U2) loud enough to
drown out those messages.
Prayer
also means doing God’s work of forgiveness and healing. Talking with
someone who needs a friend. Painting a Habitate for Humanity house.
Holding the door open for an elderly person. These acts of compassion
are prayer too. Prayer isn’t all about you. In fact, in the Gospel
according to Matthew Jesus said, "those who lose their life for my sake
will find it." Prayer is about losing yourself in conversation with God
and in service to others.
(See other stuff for teens at www.myfaithmylife.org)
