Why Not

While I was sitting in the Wired service on Sunday, watching my old youth pastor preach on the drop down screens, there was a moment where I realized how odd it was that "Big Church" was going on as normal but elementary Sunday school was not going to do small groups and the high school group was not going to be meeting at all, but I more or less brushed it off. (If I chased every mid-sermon thought, I would never hear what was actually being said!)

Case closed.

But...I work Wednesdays and Fridays with a freshman from the youth group. Friday morning, while both of us had laps/shoulders/arms full of children, he asked me, "Why didn't we have Intersect last week?"

I wasn't sure how to answer him.

It was a holiday weekend. Well, no, school and work started back up on Monday. By Sunday evening, people were home.

There's never been youth group during Christmas break. Not helpful. The why question still stands.

Some sort of an answer came out - and was cut short as I was "stabbed" in the face by a four-year-old "Wolverine" - but it felt as convincing as trying to explain to a kid why we don't *insert rule-that-I-don't-understand-the-purpose-of-either here.*

And, from the look in his eyes, it really was that unconvincing, because the question wasn't actually about Intersect in the first place.

What he wanted to know was, "Why are other people in the church important enough for their Sunday to be normal but we (the high schoolers) are not?"

And, that, I don't have an answer for.

(Photo Credit)

(Note: I am not suggesting that the oversight was malicious. I understand the logistics, but logistics don't change the message that comes across. Teenagers are second class citizens in our society. Part of them expects to hear the same thing at church that they hear everywhere else, that some day they will grow up and be important.)