Billion

OK, So the Braves are out of the playoffs. At least it's over. Now, onto this week's blog:

How old are you?

That’s right, I asked.

Personally, I’m almost 1 billion seconds old. I plan to celebrate in a big way this November, when I turn the “Big One-Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh.” And man, I thought the day I turned 500,000 seconds old was a tough one.

But really, I’m asking you how old you are just because it’s fun. The question is so much fun precisely because it’s something you’re never, ever supposed to ask. I mean, it’s just rude, isn’t it?

Of all the questions that we’re not supposed to ask in polite society, “how old are you?” might be right at the top of the list. A certain comfort-level and trust has to be established before we ask one another that question, and even then, most folks only ask it of someone that they think is close to their own age, and then just for confirmation.

Why does talking about our age strike us as being so wrong? I think it may be because none of us like to be “reduced.” What I mean is, I hate it when people assume things about me, whether they’re true or not. Actually, it’s probably when things are assumed that are true that I hate it most of all. I don’t like to think that some things can be true of me just because I’m a certain age.

And yet, the reality is that folks absolutely assume things about each of us based on the number of years we’ve been around. Different ages come with different sets of assumptions, with the extreme bad ends of the spectrum ranging from “young and foolish” to “old and feeble.”

There are lots of other questions that people ask which work in exactly the same way.

“What do you do for a living?” tells us what kind of person someone might be, what their likes and dislikes probably are, what they’re good at, and of course, how much money we can assume they make.

In a place like Douglasville, where new neighborhoods come up overnight and most of us live in developed subdivisions, “What neighborhood do you live in?” tells us whether a person is from the same socio-economic class as us, whether our kids might go to the same school, and of course, whether that person’s home costs more or less money than our own.

“Where did you go to school?” is another sort of credential-checker. It tells us where that person fits in the American caste-system of education. With that information, we also know where a person’s football loyalties lie, what connections they might have, and of course, whether their education was more or less expensive (and therefore more or less prestigious) than our own.

And yet, none of those questions are viewed as socially unacceptable.

So, how old are you?

Remember what I said about how I really hate the assumptions that turn out to be true? Well, that’s exactly the problem when it comes to age. The really ugly truth is that lots of my opinions and values and likes and dislikes really do correspond to the time in which I was born, and the stage of life in which I live.

While I have no desire to be pigeonholed before someone even knows me, I also can’t refuse the facts. Some things about me can be pretty reliably predicted based on my age. So what? Is this really such a bad thing?

Lots of folks out in “church world,” (wherever that is) have spent lots of time trying to figure out how generational issues impact our life together as a church. (This is a good link to one study, even if it was undertaken by the Unitarian Universalists!)

Even while running the risk of imposing stereotypes, I have always found their research fascinating and useful. See what you think.

Traditional sociology now divides the last several generations of Americans into:

Builders – Children of the depression who fought World War II. Their values are safety, security, and stability. Loyalty to institutions is high and denominational affiliation matters greatly to them. They have served in great leadership capacities and been the financial base of society. The youngest members of this group are now around 75 years old, and Americans from this group are dying at a rate of about 30,000 per month.

Boomers – Children of the “builders,” boomers represent 1/3 of the American population. Their influence has radically reshaped society and was most visible during the social turbulence of the 1960’s and 70’s. They are non-institutional, “rights” oriented, and take much of their personal identity from their choice of careers and work. Boomers are also known as the “me”generation, marked by deep interest in identity, personal growth and materialism. If you’re roughly between the ages of 60 and 40, congratulations, you’re a boomer!

Gen X’ers – Children of boomers, “Gen X’ers” are the first “postmodern” generation. Shaped by a global sense of inter-connection, cyberspace and the information age, it’s all about “experience” for Gen X’ers. Many X’ers grew up in broken homes and this generation is marked by an emphasis on deep friendship and personal relationships while de-emphasizing the importance of family.

GenX’ers are pragmatic, cynical and entrepreneurial. At the same time, they are deeply resistant to being defined by their work (unlike boomers). A significant mark of this generation is the longing for identity, relationships and community. Also, this is the first American generation for which Christianity has not been cultural or religious assumption. Right now, Gen Xers are somewhere between 40 and 25 years old. This just happens to be the generation of yours truly.

Millenials – Millenials are the first generation to grow up in a post-Cold War world. All the “gurus” are still trying to figure out exactly what their attributes will be, but most think that their experiences as “latchkey” kids and being raised by teams of parents, day care providers and extended families will be contributing factors in their development.

They are high-tech, connected and oriented toward digital entertainment. Multi-cultural experiences have been normal for this group and are viewed more as an expected way of life than an ideal to be attained. Plurality of thought and religious belief is their culture, and most Millenials assume that they will live in a time of continuing economic boom and expansion in the future. Today’s middle, high school and college students form the “Millenial” generation.

Church leaders like Carol Childress, Bill Easum and Sally Morgenthaler, just to name a few, have tried to interpret how generational and cultural shifts will impact the church. Our age may dictate much of what we find important and moving, as well as pleasing, in our church experience.

If societal values really are shifting from “success” to “significance,” and from “individualism” to “community,” this must tell us something about our role as the church.

If “institution” is becoming less important now than “mission,” maybe we have to be aware and learn lessons about the importance of knowing why we exist and what we’re called to do.

If church music has moved from hymn to song and praise chorus, to a new fusion of media, music and image, perhaps we should look at ways to embrace new cultural vehicles so that our culture can be transformed by Christ’s message.

Maybe…just maybe, we should let people ask the question. How old are we?

What does that number tell us about who we are? What does it tell us about what we embrace…and about what we resist? What does it assume about us when it shouldn’t? How can knowing ourselves, and loving one another transform the ways that we go about the business of being Christ’s church?

Maybe we should ask the question in the way that Spanish-speakers do it. Now, believe me, my Spanish is bad. But my understanding of the question in Spanish is “Quantos anos tiene usted?” (Sorry that I don’t know how to put tildes over the “n’s” with my keyboard).

Literally, the question is, “how many years do you have?” I love that. I have the years that God has given me. The seconds --- all one billion of them --- with which has he gifted me to live upon this earth. I am a product of my times, and I accept that fact. But most of all, I want to be a product of the time that God has had to be at work in my heart and in my life. Now that’s spoken like a true Gen X’er.

I remember that the Bible says this: “‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,’ but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” I Corinthians 2:9-10

How old am I? The answer really does tell me some things, and I really want to understand who I am. I want you to know who you are, too. That knowledge will help us be “the church” in bigger and better ways. But most of all, I hope that we all can learn the things God would teach us. I think we can embrace the years we have and still learn a lot from those who’ve lived different days than we have.

I cannot wait to see what God will do with the years we’re yet to have together. Builders, Boomers, X’ers, Millenials --- we are many parts of one body, and we serve the same Christ, our Lord.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

LIFE AT SOTH:

Welcome to the Murfrees, our newest members. Jeffrey, Lisa and Jessica come to us by transfer from the great Ben Hill United Methodist Church. We are delighted and honored to count them officially among our number.

Thanks to everyone for a great Church Conference this past Sunday morning. I think that the time of worship together served as a great boost to us all, and really helped us see a glimpse of the direction and momentum that we’re all picking up together. Also, thanks to our D.S., Jacqui Rose-Tucker for an inspiring sermon and a great morning together.

Tonight’s Study: God is Closer Than You Think is drawing toward its conclusion. Tonight we will focus primarily on Ortberg’s discussion of 7 Spiritual Pathways. I’ve found this to be one of the most helpful, practical and enlightening chapters in the book and I want us all to have a really good understanding of that chapter. We’ll meet together next Tuesday night for our final installment. Also, next Wednesday night, October 19^th will be our monthly Wednesday night supper.

New Study: On October 26^th, November 2^nd and November 9^th, we’ll do a three-week series that’s all about “Life at SOTH.” This study will be especially intended for those who are new to our church or just checking it out, but it’s absolutely open to everyone. Depending on interest, we’ll plan to meet up at “The Ranch” for a look at United Methodist history and theology, the history of our own congregation, a look at what the future might hold for SOTH, and to do a Q & A roundtable intended to answer any questions that anybody might have – about anything. It should be a great 3 weeks, and sign up sheets will be available this Sunday.

UMW and UMM! Both our men’s and women’s groups voted this week to establish themselves as officially chartered united of United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women. Congratulations to both groups for taking this step of growth! We look forward to all the great ministries that will continue and increase through these groups.

Pumpkins!!! Don’t forget that our pumpkins are coming, but please note an important change! Our pumpkins will not arrive until this Saturday morning, October 15^th at 9 AM. We need everybody who’s willing and able to come out and help us unload. Our “patch” is being prepared today as the stumps from our tree-clearing are being ground. Come on by and see what’s going on.