Salutations,
It’s me, Erik Brummett, the new youth pastor with my first article. Yeah!!!
Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I am a huge nerd. My two favorite trilogies are Back to the Future and The Lord of the Rings. I am a huge fan of comic books and superheroes. I enjoy these things because of the excitement and intrigue they create and stir within me. But there is a deeper reason as to why I enjoy these things. I love the analogies, metaphors, and parallels that The Lord of the Rings and Superman draw to Jesus Christ. When I read a Superman comic or watch Superman Returns, I do not just see Superman; I see a figure that points me to Christ. Superman flies around the world saving people from evil; Jesus is present in the world saving people from evil. Gandalf defeated the Balrog; Jesus has defeated Satan. While I love analogies and metaphors and reflecting Christological themes in comics, film, and television, I also realize that I need to be ever present of the line separating fiction from non-fiction. I have to make sure that Gandalf does not become Jesus. I have to be careful to keep myself from moving into idolatry. Analogies, metaphors, and parallels can be great tools in discovering how Jesus is at work in our world and seeing how Jesus might relate to our culture. So, I ask you what are some of the different things in your life that draw an analogy and parallel to Christ? How do you keep that analogy in the right perspective? What do you do to keep from turning a fictional character or object into Jesus? What keeps you from moving into idolatry?
Our new youth program is coming along nicely. It has already been a unique, challenging, and invigorating experience. As we move along, I see our group becoming closer and stronger, having lots of fun, growing deeper in our faith in Christ, and planting our feet in the soil of God. One of the fun things that we have coming up is an event called Amaz(e)ing Autumn, in which we will go to the corn maze in New Paris, come back to the church to have a hot dog/veggie dog roast, play some games, carve some pumpkins, and chill around a bonfire. I also have a couple of other things on the calendar coming up, such as a costume party, a Thanksgiving Dinner, and Youth Sunday. On Sunday November 13, 2011, the youth group will be leading worship and I hope that the members of the congregation will support us in this adventure and when the time comes will find it meaningful and inspirational.
That is all from the youth corner. Live faithfully. Love earnestly. Speak honestly. And above all else, live for Jesus.
-Erik Brummett, Youth Pastor