WUMC sermon Matt Harshman

Sermon by Matt Harshman

Good morning. When the youth group found out about today’s Youth Sunday, my friends urged me to relay a message from them, and from many Christian teenagers, to all of you.

Being a teenager in this world today, especially a Christian one, is not as simple as the previous generation may have been led to believe. Of course, I’m sure most of you are nodding your heads and thinking to yourselves, “That’s the teen in him talking – his generation is going through what they perceive to be hardship, and they want to speak out about it.” And maybe you’re right. But nevertheless, I’m here today to talk to you about a stage of life maybe a few of you have forgotten about – and the problems that come with it.

Everyone knows the teenage years are filled with change, with sudden spurts of maturity and knowledge, as well as a period filled with some of the most embarrassing moments of our lives. However, the temptations and social issues we face today aren’t adequately acknowledged by many – because no one except a teenager in this day and age can begin to describe them. And while promiscuity, drugs, and violence are the most well-known issues facing today’s teen, they are far from the only ones.

Today’s teen is expected to grow up more quickly, shoulder more responsibility, and work harder than teens in decades past. Our society today is one that thrives on fluidity, ever-changing circumstances that fluctuate with the rapid passage of time. Teenagers are expected to shoulder burdens that young people have never shouldered before, and still become educated and honest and good. C.S. Lewis once said, “Experience is the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn.” Teens today experience life at a pace that youth of generations past would have much difficulty coping with.

Pre-martial sex is one of the largest and also most ignored problems facing Christian teens today. With the media portraying sex as the equivalent to a good meal, teens are force-fed the thought that promiscuous sex isn’t wrong – that is should even be encouraged. Few role models attempt to even challenge this idea, simply playing into the media’s picture of sexual intercourse. Of course, with that sort of support, teenagers today who try to hold on to their moral values are discouraged, even mocked and ridiculed. Instead, they are forced into committing acts they would never commit on their own – simply to rid themselves of being alone.

Which brings us to another issue facing teens today – the mounting social pressures. I’ve attended a high school of over 3,000 students for four years, and the vast majority of them are going through the throes of maturing and growing up, and don’t know what is expected of them – or what is right for them. Instead, they hide their fear of isolation and ostracization by forming a very wide range of cliques, all with their own set of moral values, ethical behavior, and enemies. Secondary schools have all but ceased to be possible places of learning – instead, they are habitats marked by many different species, all predatory towards one another. Where the rivalries used to simply exist between athletes and intellectuals, now people are divided up into vast amount of subcategories. It’s difficult for any student who wants to learn to be able to do so in a place where the first thing their peers do is categorize them, and then ostracize them.

And it doesn’t end there. The drugs on the market today are some of the most dangerous ever to see light, and they are easily available at your local high school. As a teen myself, I’ve seen how easy it is to gain access to deadly drugs and mind-altering chemicals – and it scares me. Lighter drugs, like marijuana, are held in much the same esteem as sex – something to enjoy on a slow night.

Meanwhile, we are forced to deal with mounting pressures from teachers, parents, and other authority figures – all vying to schedule our lives to their specifications. Sometimes, it seems as though none of us have a moment of time to ourselves – we spread ourselves too thin to impress colleges, to get a leg up in life, to look acceptable in the eyes of all those who view us – and many teenagers, many of us, are scared and weak. We can’t stand up to things that we could stand up to under other circumstances, and the feeling of loneliness is the most prevalent emotion we feel.

But there are teens who stand up to the pressures and the problems facing us today. I was browsing the internet not too long ago and found a teenager’s Bill of Rights, created by a number of teens that address the problems of today’s society, and what teens must do to stand up to them. I read it to you now.

We the teens, in order to form a righteous generation, raise our voice in one accord to set the direction for this generation. When so many leaders of our society refuse to lead in truth, When those who sell us goods do so solely for their own financial gain, despite the toll their “goods” might take on us, When those who have shaped our society often hold no moral compass through which to guide us into the future, When the majority with celebrity influence take no responsibility for their position as role models and influencers, When honesty and truth are scorned and manipulated by many of leaders in high offices and integrity is regarded as weakness, When character is mocked by the media and our leaders are afraid to take a moral stand because it might be unpopular, When rebellion is the norm and seen as a right to be demanded, When corruption in society threatens the very foundation upon which it was built, It is necessary for us, as teens, to redefine our society and lay claim to our right to bring truth to our generation. We take it upon ourselves to rise up and call our generation to a higher standard. A standard: not built by polls, but on principle, not based on what feels good, but on what is good, not built on what is cool, but on what is correct, not built on what is convenient, but on character, not based on what is easy, but on what is excellent, not built on what is popular, but on what is prudent, not built on what everyone else thinks, but on what God thinks, not built on Hollywood, but on honor. We, as a young generation, assert our right to set the pace for our own generation. We refuse to be led by those who are morally bankrupt. With this in mind, we commit to shape our society and world accordingly:

1. We live with Honor, making the most honorable decision, even when we could try to justify less than honorable behavior.

2. We will be Honest and tell the truth in matters large and small, even when it is hard, and even when it hurts.

3. We will take Responsibility for our actions and not look to government, schools, or other authorities to justify our wrong decisions. We will take responsibility for our mistakes.

4. We will commit to have Families where both parents are present; our word will be our bond at the altar.

5. We will commit to love Purity. We will not be seduced by the world’s idea of sex and love. We will save our body and hearts for the one we will marry.

6. We will find the Purpose for that which we were created, so we can live our lives to the fullest potential.

7. We will see through the lie of Drugs and Alcohol, and refuse to let any chemical influence our thinking and destroy our lives.

8. We will Respect the authority God has placed in our lives, even though some may have character that we do not admire. We realize that all authority comes from God. We refuse to subvert our parents or other authority figures.

9. We will work Relentlessly to ensure that Every Person in our generation has the opportunity to hear about a relationship with God in a way that they can understand.

We will care about the rest of the world. We Refuse to be absorbed with ourselves and our own comforts, but determine to find our place in reaching the world. In signing, we as young people, commit to life a life that exemplifies these standards as we lead our generation to high moral ground. As adults, we sign to express our commitment to stand with the youth as they lead their generation to the highest standard of Honor.

The apostle James in the Bible says in Chapter 1, Verse 2–6: “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing by joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” This applies not only to teenagers, but to everyone – when we are faced with mounting difficulties and challenges, the choice to give in is tempting and easy. With so many vices and problems in today’s world, staying moral, staying Christian, is next to impossible. And to a teen, who is just coming to terms with adulthood, it’s an especially difficult path, and a challenging one. But maybe, just maybe, today’s teens, and today’s adults, are up to the challenge. I mean, we’re here today, aren’t we?