The Way of Salvation

A Message from Maria

Grace. The word has so many meanings and can be placed in many settings in our world. As Methodist this word is central to how we are created, saved and redeemed. As youth workers we need to proclaim this word each and every time we are with our youth.

Grace is the free and unconditional love of God. The pressures of school and culture create for teenagers an environment that is not free or unconditional. Nothing is free or unconditional in their culture. Grades and peer pressure for our teens are based on worth or merit. They are told that they must have good grades for college or a job. Cliques are formed on how teens perform or don’t perform in social settings. We need our teens to know that God’s grace is not based on a grading system or on how they perform in social settings. Grace is free and unconditional. No matter how hard they work or don’t want to work, God’s grace is still there and still the same – eternal and never ending.

The church needs to provide an environment that will be souly based on grace. So that when teens come for youth group they find the free, unconditional and never ending grace to greet them at the door. If you do this long enough in a consistence manner, you will find that teens will yearn for a safe place where they are loved no matter how their week went at school or with friends. Providing a place like this will be hard work because teens are moody, cranky and some times apathetic. Yet, the only thing we can do is love them and show them what grace really is.

As you explain grace to teenagers please remember that God’s grace is so powerful and amazing that as humans we cannot really grasp the idea. Explain to them that God’s grace is not another item to acquire in life but a daily lifestyle of love. Allow them to see God’s grace as consuming them and not them consuming grace. Again, this idea is huge and complex so take slowly, because God is not grading you on how you understand grace. Even for adults this idea needs to be embraced slowly and tenderly, because sometimes we want to acquire it and not really appreciate God’s power in our lives.