On November 17, the PMC Youth Groups took over and planned and led our Sunday service. Mark Leard and Jadyn Tipton gave reflections on Isaiah 65:17-25, where Isaiah speaks of a new heaven and a new earth.

Mark sees this passage as what a perfect relationship with God is like.Mark sees this passage as what a perfect relationship with God is like.Mark sees this passage as what a perfect relationship with God is like.

This relationship is our center. What are the struggles that keep us from this centered relationship? How do we go from where we are now to this promised new creation that Isaiah describes? How does Jesus demonstrate this for us?

Jadyn talks about what it means to be recovered — experiencing transformation. She sees Isaiah’s vision as an image of what a transformed kingdom would look like. It’s an image of a new world: what we wish life could look like. There’s a lot of hope here. And God promises that the serpent — our sins — will eat nothing but dust.

But is this all God’s doing? Is this a passive view? God loves us — but because we also love God, we need to play a part in this transformation. We must do what we can with our time to make our world better. We may be climbing a steep path, but it leads to the kingdom.

It’s a delight to learn from our young people, to hear what they’re thinking, and what they’re hearing as they encounter scripture and their experiences in light of it.

Hear more of their thoughts in the audio below.

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