Falling In Line

It has become trendy to talk generationally. Especially in the Church. I'll often hear someone from the pulpit say things like, "The youth of this generation have the opportunity..." Or, "If our generation becomes passionate about God..."

It's interesting, this concept of "generations". So much hope placed on the next one to follow, taking the mantle from the previous and pushing forward to new heights. I'm sure every person would love to be a part of that.

However, this after college, young adult phase that so many of us find ourselves in, is particularly weird. Some of us actually hang out with our parents now...A lot! Life has become real and we've shed the skin of that opinionated, life of the party person we used to know in college, for the get a job, go to the church we like, has dinner with the parents twice a week person. Before you know it, this whole discussion of "generations" just disappears. We fall in line. Buy the car, get the job, go to the big church, fit in, and what do you know... Turn into our parents generation. Especially in the Church.

"Young adult" groups become the bridge into that lifestyle. They become inclusive and filled with cliche. "Could I really bring my friends from college or work to one of these?" All of a sudden we look around and the way we live our lives is really...Old and "churchy".

Remember in college when you lived with people? When the "world" wasn't that far away? In fact, it lived with you. He or she was your roommate. Remember when faith became a little more real to you because it was living itself out in the midst of those who didn't believe what you believe? We actually cared for people. We laughed with them, and we cried with them. Some of us maybe even realized it was bigger than FCA, our floor bible study, or our campus ministry. It was about people's lives. We saw that though others didn't believe, they respected you because you did. And they actually liked you.

And then we graduated.

In the midst of the craziness. The new town. The new job. The new church. Moving back in with the parents. "WHAT!? How'd this happen?" New friends. Loneliness. Why am I back here? "This sucks."

We fall in line.

We take our place as the "next generation" in the Church and watch. We start talking like we never said we would. We live from one "young adult" hang out to the next. And every hope of living in the world and the faith that came alive when we did, goes away. We become that other generation.

What if we did live our lives in the world? What if the next generation, our generation, engaged people's lives like we did in college, when they were crying in our dorm suite. What if our faith flourished because it was devoted to the poor and weak? If we didn't just file into the big church because it's easy and we're busy now with our big new job. A lifestyle that poured into our city. A faith that people used to ask about in the cafeteria, or in the union. They don't ask us anymore, do they? What if it was a lifestyle, not a service project?

It's easy though. We work a lot now. We have nice cars. We go to church and bible study.

Is that it? Is that the "next generation" I hear about?

Are we going to answer the big questions in our community, in our city? Will we engage the problems and pain of those around in the world that surrounds us. Will one Saturday feeding the homeless be our service? Will it make us feel better? Will we fall in? Or will faith be shown by love. A lifestyle of love and rebuilding broken lives, and a broken community. If that's the case, then we're not talking service-projects anymore. We're talking lifestyle.

Will we make our own way?

Or be caught falling in line, hoping that next generation after us won't.