I’m looking forward to the changing of the guard. I’m hoping that young people who aren’t jaded by tribalism will go into church work and public service. So many churches and levels of government are behind the curve because religion and politics have been so divisive. The demands of party loyalty and denominational identity have fractured the ideals of one holy Christian church and one nation under God. The millennial generation has been turned off to both because they see the same old patterns in each. 

Millennials are into pattern recognition. That’s how Amazon knows what they might order next. They count blessings with big numbers, like stars in the sky and the limitlessness of the universe. Because they are seekers, they find things, like patterns in massive pools of health data that help them envision never-thought-of treatments for diseases. They chart progress on a global scale in causes like increased life expectancy, improved literacy, and reduced infant mortality. They share those values with tens of millions in their own generation around the world because they are interconnected like never before. 

I pray they will seek God and accept his invitation. “‘Come on now, let’s discuss this!’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are bright red, they will become as white as snow. Though they are dark red, they will become as white as wool’” (Isaiah 1:18 GW). I pray they will not give up on church and state because the past is forgiven. I pray they will develop new patterns for both.