Rite of Passage

Several years ago, Grace launched into a new arena of ministry when we inaugurated what has become a semi-annual ‘Rite of Passage’ weekend in honor of any of our young people entering into adulthood. The big question that people often ask when they first hear about this is:  How do you know when a child becomes an adult? Isn’t that different for each child?

Well no, actually it’s not. The reason we’re so confused today about this is because our culture invented something in the past century that never existed in the human race before: the concept of adolescence. Because of this invention, we now string our young people along on an endless rabbit trail of ‘growing up’ which has no clear markers or boundaries. We leave our children to guess what adulthood is, and when they become one.

Up until recently, most cultures had no such confusion. They knew when a child became an adult – it was when their bodies changed and they became capable of reproducing life. To help a child cross that great divide, he or she participated in a ‘rite of passage’, and from that time on, they were looked on as an adult. The older adults around them would then take them under wing, guide them into maturity, and mentor them in how to walk in the responsibilities of adulthood.

Jesus himself went through a ‘rite of passage’ which helps us understand the curious story in Luke 2:41-50 where Jesus ‘ditches’ his parents and hangs out in the temple. How could Jesus have done this to his parents? Christian author Walker Moore explains:       
Jesus was not acting as a child when he stayed behind in the temple.  Instead, he was responding as an adult who had gone through his bar mitzvah, the Jewish rite of passage, at 12 years of age.  He had taken on adult responsibilities (dialoguing with the teachers) and adult consequences (making arrangements such as where he would stay and what he would eat while he was there.) When he told his parents that he must be about his Father’s business, he was simply reminding them of his status and obligations.  Jesus had gone through a rite of passage.  Jesus had become…a man.”

Here at Grace, we allow any child who turns 13 or is in the 7th grade during the calendar year to participate in this special weekend.  We begin the weekend with an orientation session for adults only – parents of potential candidates or anyone who wants to know more about the rationale behind this program are invited.  Talk to Pastor Barry for more information or resources about Grace’s Rite Of Passage.