Perhaps you have had someone who is generationally different from you make a keen impact in your life. One of those “some-ones” for me is Reginald Barnard, a theology professor at the first seminary I attended. The school was quite conservative, and I was very young, very timid, very green, and secretly full of doubt. Dr. Barnard was an unusual find there, and was unlike anyone I had ever met. He was incredibly bright, deeply poetic, and I found him to have a profoundly passionate faith. He marched to the beat of his own drum. And he made sure to convey that questions were a welcome and welcoming part of faith. He not only helped me salvage my faith, he helped me chart a course to a much more invigorating experience of God. And he called all of us students his “younger friends.”
Do you think generational differences matter in our faith and life? If so, how? You’ve heard the overly simplistic but still useful breakdowns of the generations: The Greatest Generation (1910-1924), The Silent Generation (1925-1945), Baby Boomer Generation (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1983), Millennials (1983-1996), Generation Z (1997–present), and Generation Alpha (2010-2025). Where do you fall in that list? How do you think that influences your life and the way you view the world?
Long ago, the Gospel of John includes of a conversation between the young, upstart rabbi named Jesus, and a more seasoned Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus. That conversation is most memorable for the statement in which Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be “born again”. Sometimes this is translated as “born from above.” However this week, as I have sat with this story, I noticed that this is a clearly intergenerational conversation. And in the flip of the traditional script in which the older mentors the younger, in this story, it is the young thirty something who is pushing the buttons of the older soul. Perhaps sitting with the story, and viewing it from that lens, could be useful for us.
We’ll play with this on Sunday, as the sermon is titled, “Questions that Can Make or Unmake a Life”. It arises from John 3:1-10, which will be read by Tom Shafer. The Sanctuary Singers, accompanied by Nara Lee, will lead us musically. We will have a children’s moment, prayers and hymns.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for decades, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with you on the live stream at 10:30am this Sunday.