It’s been quite a year for the city of Hong Kong. A city founded on Confucian principles mixed in with Western values has been one of the most attractive cities in the world to live in. Yet in the space of a year, social unrest and the coronavirus has left the people in the city reeling and facing an uncertain future. No one seems to know what the future holds anymore. What is clear is that the city has never been more divided.
Because of differences in political perspectives, families have been torn apart, friends are struggling to be friends, and the gap between social classes is not getting any smaller. And the biggest gulf of them all? It’s the one that exists between generations.
It’s become painfully clear this last year that the next generation is more frustrated, angry, and hopeless than their predecessors ever thought possible. The young people no longer trust in the authorities that have been placed above them, no longer feel heard in their own homes, and no longer feel they have a place in the society they were born into. Once those sentiments reared its ugly head, there has been no turning back. What was once one of the safest cities in the world to live in is now mired with regular protests that sometimes turn violent.
The next generation feels misunderstood and neglected, and it’s easy to see why. But where do we go from here? More importantly, what must we as the Body of Christ do in response to this unprecedented season?
Although we may not have all the right answers about what to believe politically or what to do next, we need to ask the right questions and then be willing and humble enough to listen to whatever answers come our way. So what questions do churches and ministries need to ask as we seek to serve the next generation of young people in the city?
1. What is the root cause of their frustration and discontent?
In order to love them in the best way we can, we must first be willing to hear them out and listen to what they have to say. Recognizing that the heart’s cry of the next generation is to be listened to, that duty will fall to us as ministers to not only hear out their frustrations but to also understand the pain that drives them.
2. How do we keep one eye on the victory and one eye on the battle?
How do we tell them (and remind ourselves) that the Kingdom of Heaven is here, that the victory is already won and that there is no need to fear, while also empathizing with them and feeling their pain and sorrow? How do we keep our hearts tender and allow them to be broken while also maintaining an unwavering hope that Jesus is Lord and that the war on darkness is ultimately decided? Jesus modeled that same tender heart for the brokenness in front of Him but also showed steadfast faith in the victory that is to come. We must do the same.
3. How do we show them love that transcends differences and disagreements?
Jesus had the ability to unify people who otherwise would have no business being together. His Kingdom mindset saw above the earthly divisions and affiliations of the time and he showed a love that rose above those differences in political views, race, social class or age. We must do the same.
As a pastor and missionary in this city, I still have hope. I still believe in the next generation because I believe in a God who is faithful to fulfilling His promises from generation to generation. I still believe that the city is littered with intelligent, driven, and gifted young people who God will use to make a better tomorrow. I still believe it’s down to people like us to find these young people and show them that we are willing to listen to them, feel their pain, wipe their tears and then lift their eyes up to the One who will never let them down, to introduce them to the King who laid His life down for them because He deemed them worthy of it. We must do the same.