Hoping in What Is Seen
by First Church
For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. —Romans 8:24
At the beginning of the film “Horton Hears a Who!” the main character, Horton, who is an elephant, observes a speck of dust floating by him and hears a voice coming from it. Struggling with his own doubts about what he heard or not, he dashes off to save the speck of dust before it is destroyed by the jungle environment. Horton places the speck on a pink clover, examines it closer, and wonders if there really is somebody on the dust speck. While caught up in his thoughts, Horton is confronted by a skeptical Kangaroo who makes fun of him.
The Kangaroo says laughingly, “Absurd. There aren’t people that small.”
Horton replies, “Well, maybe they aren’t small…maybe…we’re BIG! …What if there were someone way out there…looking down on our world right now? And to them, we’re the specks and then maybe someone else will come along and say, oh, there can’t be people that small.”
Kangaroo will not concede to Horton’s view. “If you can’t see, hear or feel something, it doesn’t exist.”
This film clip was how the Family Ministries Committee launched a new program last September called “Bibles and Bagels” for youth in grades 5 through 12. Church School for these youth begins in the Roof Lounge with bagels, cream cheese, muffins, and orange juice while youth watch a short film clip. A ten-minute discussion follows, which is led by volunteers or myself each Sunday that youth Church School meets. This program was an overwhelming success with the youth and the leaders and it was an easy choice to continue it in the coming year.
Paul and Horton seem to be on the same page about believing in what we do not see, but our efforts with the youth program are grounded very heavily in what is seen. Take, for example, the integration of Bibles and Bagels into our curriculum and a new part of the youth program for 2010-2011 called “Worship at the Movies.” This program for youth in grades 8 through 12 will be a once-a-month worship service that will contain the traditional elements of worship—a call to worship, confessional prayer, scripture reading, prayers, and benediction—and also a sermon in the form of a 10-15 minute video clip followed by a discussion of the film’s connection to the scripture.
We may be putting our hope in what is seen on the big screen, but the youth program’s growth this year has been inspirational. Leadership from members Anne Gray and Anne Gaines with another new aspect of the youth program called “Youth Service Fellowship” for 5th-12th graders has had numerous highlights this year. You have most recently seen their work in the Help for Haiti t-shirts that they designed, silk-screened and sold to raise money for earthquake relief. They also had an amazing event where they cooked dinner for the men staying at the homeless shelter; the fun they had making dinner together, eating with the families and serving the men at the shelter. We have waited with patience, and are seeing that for which we have hoped. So as we move into next year’s youth program, perhaps Paul’s words from Philippians can be our inspiration:
Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen, and the God of peace will be with you. —Philippians 4:9
The Rev. Barbara E. Davis
