A Lesson from Nic at Night

I am going to do something little different in my blogs this month.  As I write this I am putting final preparations into a presentation I will be making at the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Youth Symposium next week.  As part of that presentation I am going will be talking about why I feel the church has failed in reaching out to this generation of teens and young adults.  #1: From my perspective the church is not the place to express doubt or to ask questions.

In the third chapter of John's Gospel we meet a man by the name of Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, the very group of church leaders who were opposing Jesus.  In time they would lead the campaign to have him put to death.  John tells us that Nicodemus approached Jesus at night and leads us to believe that he was alone. Nicodemus seemed to have been intrigued by Jesus teachings.  He was curious and had some questions.  Jesus enters into a dialog with Nicodemus. We are not privy to the entire conversation, but we can assume Jesus listened to Nicodemus and responded with some probing questions of his own.  In the midst of this Jesus speaks one of the most quoted verses in scripture, "God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

I wonder how different the outcome would have been had Jesus, seeing Nicodemus approaching, would have said, "I know who you are and what you represent and because of that we cannot even have a conversation."

Unfortunately that is often the message that many millennials hear when they approach the church with questions.  Perhaps the issue is the exclusive nature of Christianity.  In a culture where so many different faiths are represented, how can we claim that Jesus is the only way to eternal life?  Perhaps it's the Gay/Lesbian issue.  The reality is most millennials know someone who is Gay, perhaps that someone is a good friend.  A majority of teens and young adults accept that lifestyle as being OK.  How are they going to feel if they want to discuss the issue with us, but are stonewalled?

The church has to be open to discussing the issues of today.  We have to be accepting of those who have doubts, or who hold opinions who run contrary to tradition.  Unless we keep the door open, we run the risk of losing them.  We need to maintain those relationships and keep the discussion going.

Nicodemus became a believer.  In John 7:50 we learn that Nicodemus defended Jesus in front his peers.  After the crucifixion it is Nicodemus who joins Joseph of Arimathea in giving Jesus a proper burial.  Only God know what he has in store for those young folks in your life that have questions and doubt.  Take time to have an open and honest discussion with them, and never close the door to that relationship.