Last Sunday we noted that millennials are much less involved in church than are baby boomers. Where to draw the lines between generations is a bit fluid, but it does appear that I’m on the upper limit of baby boomers, having been born in 1947 after Dad returned from WW II. And that may account for my living under a rock, as my son-in-law recently noted.
Nikki and the girls had showed me a video that made me laugh, and gave me hope. The one speaking looked young, and after reading about the challenge of reaching millennials with the gospel, I assumed he was one. Wikipedia informed me, however, that he had been born in 1979 instead of in the 80’s. So while he may not actually be from the generation that is 35% anti-church, he is definitely an unexpected voice of hope. And until last week, to me, an unknown voice.
If you, like me, haven’t seen the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World movies, you may not know that Chris Pratt is the hottest actor in Hollywood. He was recently given MTV’s Generation Award, and when accepting it he had some hilarious, and unexpectedly positive things to say. He began by stating, “I’m going to cut to the chase, and I am going to speak to you, the next generation. I accept the responsibility as you your elder. So, listen up.”
He then listed nine rules for life which were practical, instructive, and even silly; like how to go to the bathroom without stinking up the place. Four of them, however, blew me away.
- Rule 2: “You have a soul. Be careful with it.”
- Rule 6: “God is real. God loves you, God wants the best for you. Believe that, I do.”
- Rule 8: “Learn to pray. It’s easy and it is so good for your soul.”
- Rule 9: “Nobody is perfect, People will tell you that you are perfect just the way that you are, you are not! You are imperfect. You always will be, but there is a powerful force that designed you that way, and if you accept that, you will have grace. And grace is a gift. Like the freedom that we enjoy in this country, that grace was paid for with somebody else’s blood. Do not forget that. Don’t take that for granted.”
Even if he’s not your elder, listen up!
God Bless, Rick
Chatham Christian Church 