Saturday, January 5, 2013

Passion 2013

Passion as defined by Dictionary.com - any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate 
 Passion as defined by the 268 Generation - "for your name and renown are the desire of our souls" from Isaiah 26:8

This New Year's I went to Passion at the Georgia Dome with 60,000 other people, 90% who are between the ages of 18-25.  I attended along with students from my local church's college ministry. There we gathered together in worship and heard teaching from authors and pastors including Francis Chan, John Piper and Beth Moore. It was Biblical training with some of the leaders in this nation. 

We worshiped with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Kristian Stanfill. It was candy to the ears for all worship leaders, a glimpse of heaven (albeit a white, college-aged heaven), and a time to boldly declare the truths of God. The first night we were requested to yell as loud as possible in order to get those in neighboring Atlanta to wonder what's going on and listen in. Then we continued praising God and declaring his Truths for anyone who could hear. The worship was a sweet gift to God's people and I pray God smiled as he heard it. 

In addition to the worship and teaching Passion presented an opportunity for students to get involved in fighting injustice. This was my favorite part of the conference. I was older than the target audience, and tired quickly of being herded like cattle everywhere I went. But I was a sponge when they spoke of justice. As I've grown and experienced more in my Christian life I am convinced that we are compelled to fight injustice. So as we heard from the president of International Justice Mission, a girl rescued from a life of forced prostitution and  a man who requested we demand products not made by slaves, indentured servants or child laborers - I was all ears! 

All 60,000 of us were challenged with raising money to help established social justice organizations to further what they do and to bring an end to slavery worldwide. According to the State Department there are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. See what CNN said about this conference here. See tweet below to see how we did :)

 
As I attended, absorbed and contemplated all that happened at Passion I felt the need to pray. As someone who has been in multiple ministries, churches, etc. and seen conferences (I did help plan them for a year) of many kinds, I felt several times at Passion a criticism and judgement sneaking into my attitude. Do we need laser lights? Do we have to scream every time a song ends? Do I have to keep standing? Does it mean I love God less because I want to sit? I don't think so, but I do think I've aged out of the target audience and that I need to do a heart-check on my pride in having "been there and done that." It happens often that a mountain-top awe-inspiring kind of atmosphere like Passion causes people to come back and make changes to their lives, but it fades soon after the excitement and feelings they experienced are buffered with everyday life. So my prayer is that Passion really be the movement it calls itself (rather than a conference), and that the Dictionary.com definition not be what it was to these students - a fleeting emotion but rather a new positioning for their lives.

Dear Father,
Thank you for the students' energy and youthful excitement. Let it be a reminder to all of us. Jesus, thank you for igniting them ablaze in a desire to pursue justice and love mercy. Thank you for their passion. Now Jesus, as Passion (the conference) ends,
Take their energy and excitement >>>> Give them endurance
Take the spark of unity and the flame of worship >>>>Give them an all-consuming fire that leads to worship as a lifestyle
Take the 4 days of intense and in-your-face reminders of Jesus >>>> Give them a lifetime of worship in their decisions, actions and words
 give them endurance, turn that small flame into a sustaining all-consuming fire. 
Take their glimpse into the united church >>>> Give them a deep desire to seek unity in all believers and a hope deferred to heaven.  
God pour out your spirit on those students, all 60,000 of them and give them dedication to the causes that break your heart. Give them motivation from Your perfect love for them to change this world for the better. Let their enthusiasm and passion raise the bar for the rest of us as "adult" life can steal our joy.
In Jesus holy and precious name, Amen.