Pulsing blue lights
beats dropping like
thunder strikes
the coffee machine a hive in the back
might have it mocha or black
don’t attack the youth Sabbath School
because we break your rules
we gotta be cool and make them stay
this is the only way to keep them coming, bring them back from week to week
sparkling action
need mics to track the speakers on stage
so the kids in the back can engage with
the dazzling rhythms
need a pair of earplugs to stop the ringing
of the guitars upfront
but somethings wrong
the songs go on but no one’s singing
voices dull or vacant
I hate to point it out but
no one brings a friend to this place
any Sabbath morning
turn the volume up or bring muffins
anything to keep them coming
hang Christmas lights to make the corners glow
but slowly, more and more
slip away from your grasp,
find yourself asking
what’s going wrong?
change the lights change the songs
bring up the base
dance on stage to make it worth seeing
drive yourself insane
in an empty youth chapel
the few that stay huddle in the back
engrossed in conversation or staring at their phones
not knowing what to do
“Come join us” you try to drag them in by the corners
of their resistance
you insist they need to give it a chance
well guess what.
they have.
for years they sat through sabbath school lectures
answering questions
getting grilled
by now they know the drill
for years they learned that
sabbath school was a requirement
and they’re tired of it
beaten back by bible stories
that mean nothing to them any more than
worn blunt and feeble
by the retelling easy to ignore
no amount of yelling will bring the life back
to get on track you have to open your eyes
to the lack of connection and pay attention to
the heartbreak
of a 14 year old girl
who gave her all
to a boy who threw it away
does God care can he forgive is it too late?
the shame of a boy
trapped by a wayward computer mouse click
the images that stick in his brain
alone in the house
does God care can He get me out?
the kids whose parents split
who need a safe place to stay.
they’re hungry for connection
a scrap of affection
from a God who seems so far away
so stop trying to bring
them back with shiny treats
stop trying to meet their expectations
coz the only way to reach this generation
is to show them they matter
cut through the clamour and show them a love that is real
that shatters their cynicism
that makes them feel known
that shields them in the moments late into the night
when they feel alone.
POET: Caitlin Jankiewicz, attends Castle Hill Church of the Greater Sydney Conference.