Tag Archives: Generational Differences

Melding Generation

Kingdom Building

November 6, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 145:1-5,17-21

One generation shall laud your works to another,
   and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
   and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
   and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
   to all who call on him in truth. –Psalm 145:4-5, 17-18

I recently had separate discussions with two minister friends about the challenge of the church integrating the generations into One Body. Church’s are attempting to meld together six different identified groups of people by age that have markedly different worldviews.

  • 2000 to present: New Silent Generation or Generation Z.
  • 1980 to 2000: Millennials or Generation Y.
  • 1965 to 1979: Thirteeners or Generation X.
  • 1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers.
  • 1925 to 1945: Silent Generation.
  • 1900 to 1924: G.I. Generation*.

I must confess I had never heard of the Thirteeners until I pulled up this list to get the dates right. I have met a few of them. Apparently even the Psalmist of ancient days had to address the interworking of generational differences. The differences may not be what we think. We are now routinely seeing headlines like U.S. Kids Far Less Likely To Out-Earn Their Parents, As Inequality Grows** Not using wealth as the primary measure of wealth is probably a good thing. Not earning a living wage is a bad thing.

So, with what do we laud the next generation? Are we being called to encounter our priorities of the past and identify the things that really matter passing them on to our children and grandchildren? Are we living lives that illustrate for the next generation watching us that speak to the wonder and worth of God? Are they learning how to love God and love their neighbors as they love themselves by emulating our behavior?

Prayer:
Weave, weave, weave us together,
Weave us together in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together,
Weave us together, together in love***. Amen.

*https://www.thoughtco.com/names-of-generations-1435472
**https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/09/504989751/u-s-kids-far-less-likely-to-out-earn-their-parents-as-inequality-grows
***http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/songbook/songs6/S6_54.htm All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Generations

Christmas
December 31, 2017

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-40

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’ –Luke 2:25-40

One of the challenges of our society is bringing the various generations together for not only the Common Good of various nations but also for the successful work of the Body of Christ. Differing influences in our lifetimes prepared us in a variety of ways to address issues. What one age group may see as normal another may identify as sin. If 20 years equals a generation, we now have five generations of adults vying for supremacy in our culture. Religious organizations are some of few that have a natural field for working out these differences. It is not easy.

Care of the earth is one of my congregation’s goals strongly supported particularly by millennials. When we switched from using Styrofoam cups to ceramic cups that had to be washed for our after-church coffee, one of our octogenarian was very upset. She informed me that getting away from washing dishes was important and she thought the Styrofoam kept the coffee hotter anyway. From that Sunday forward she brings her own Styrofoam cup each week. What was viewed as progress 50 years ago is now part of a new problem. This event happened a few years ago. We moved to biodegradable cups and now have gone full circle using a trash pickup company that recycles among many other things Styrofoam.

How do we communicate with one another sharing our fears and our goals? How do we bridge the gap between generations to mine wisdom while dispelling past realities that no longer exist? Simeon sets a great example for the mature generations. He was a future thinker wanting to leave the world a better place as he rejoiced in the birth of a long-expected Savior.

Prayer: Lord, enable us to glean wisdom from others as we work o dispel fears. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved