Invest in the Next Generation
As 2025 draws to a close, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for all that God has done among us this year. Through our journey in the Gospel of Luke in the Upside Down Kingdom series, we have been reminded again and again that Jesus turns the world’s values on their head—weakness becomes strength, serving is greatness, and the last shall be first. He has been faithful to teach us, convict us, and draw us closer to Himself.
Yet as I have prayed about what the Lord wants for us in 2026, one theme has risen clearly and persistently above the rest: Investing in the Next Generation.
The Scripture the Lord has anchored this in is Psalm 145:4: “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
This is not a suggestion; it is God’s design for the ongoing story of His glory. The faith is always one generation away from extinction unless we intentionally pass it on. We have already seen beautiful glimpses of God moving among our children, students, and young adults this year—lives being changed, hearts awakened, young leaders stepping forward. I believe the Lord is saying, “Steward this carefully. Invest deeply.”
Jesus Himself modeled this priority. When He restored Peter in John 21, His first commission was not “Feed My sheep,” but “Feed My lambs.” He could have used “sheep” three times to refer to the whole flock, but He deliberately began with the young, the vulnerable, the lambs. Many scholars believe the twelve apostles were likely teenagers when Jesus called them. He poured three intensive years into them—not just from a distance or a pulpit, but up close: around a breakfast fire on the shore, at a table instituting the Lord’s Supper, walking dusty roads together. He didn’t merely give them words; He gave them Himself.
That is our calling in 2026—to give ourselves to the next generation the Jesus way. And here is where God’s providence has overwhelmed me. As I prepared the final message of 2025 from Luke 22:39–46—on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane—the Lord used that very passage to confirm everything He had already been stirring in my heart. The sermon, titled Prayer: The Cinderella of the Church, became an answer to my own prayers for clarity on our 2026 focus.
In Gethsemane we see the agony Jesus endured so that we could have access to the Father. He drank the cup of wrath so we could draw near in prayer. He was forsaken so we could be brought close. And the strength He received in that garden came through prayer—raw, honest, submissive prayer. That same prayer is the lifeline we need if we are going to faithfully invest in the next generation.
When I turned to Strategic Renewal—the ministry we often partner with for our annual 21 Days of Prayer—I discovered their new resource for January is titled 21 Days of Prayer for the Next Generation. The alignment felt unmistakably from the Lord.
So as we close 2025 and step into 2026, I invite every one of us—parents, grandparents, singles, empty-nesters, young adults, students—to join in this focus. Let’s commit to:
Our annual 21 Days of Prayer will launch Monday, January 5th, centered on this very theme, using the powerful new guide from Strategic Renewal. If you didn’t get your copy last Sunday, grab one this Sunday, contact the church office, or order it directly from Strategic Renewal. Mark your calendars and plan to join us.
Church family, God is moving. He is raising up the next generation right in front of us. Let’s not miss it. Let’s commend His works to them with everything we have—depending wholly on Him in prayer—so that His mighty acts will be declared for years to come.
I love you, I’m thankful for you, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in 2026.
For the next generation—and for His glory,
Pastor Marco
Yet as I have prayed about what the Lord wants for us in 2026, one theme has risen clearly and persistently above the rest: Investing in the Next Generation.
The Scripture the Lord has anchored this in is Psalm 145:4: “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”
This is not a suggestion; it is God’s design for the ongoing story of His glory. The faith is always one generation away from extinction unless we intentionally pass it on. We have already seen beautiful glimpses of God moving among our children, students, and young adults this year—lives being changed, hearts awakened, young leaders stepping forward. I believe the Lord is saying, “Steward this carefully. Invest deeply.”
Jesus Himself modeled this priority. When He restored Peter in John 21, His first commission was not “Feed My sheep,” but “Feed My lambs.” He could have used “sheep” three times to refer to the whole flock, but He deliberately began with the young, the vulnerable, the lambs. Many scholars believe the twelve apostles were likely teenagers when Jesus called them. He poured three intensive years into them—not just from a distance or a pulpit, but up close: around a breakfast fire on the shore, at a table instituting the Lord’s Supper, walking dusty roads together. He didn’t merely give them words; He gave them Himself.
That is our calling in 2026—to give ourselves to the next generation the Jesus way. And here is where God’s providence has overwhelmed me. As I prepared the final message of 2025 from Luke 22:39–46—on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane—the Lord used that very passage to confirm everything He had already been stirring in my heart. The sermon, titled Prayer: The Cinderella of the Church, became an answer to my own prayers for clarity on our 2026 focus.
In Gethsemane we see the agony Jesus endured so that we could have access to the Father. He drank the cup of wrath so we could draw near in prayer. He was forsaken so we could be brought close. And the strength He received in that garden came through prayer—raw, honest, submissive prayer. That same prayer is the lifeline we need if we are going to faithfully invest in the next generation.
When I turned to Strategic Renewal—the ministry we often partner with for our annual 21 Days of Prayer—I discovered their new resource for January is titled 21 Days of Prayer for the Next Generation. The alignment felt unmistakably from the Lord.
So as we close 2025 and step into 2026, I invite every one of us—parents, grandparents, singles, empty-nesters, young adults, students—to join in this focus. Let’s commit to:
- Praying fervently for our children, students, and young adults.
- Investing relationally—giving them not just truth, but our time, our lives, our presence the Jesus way.
- Equipping them to know Him, love Him, and lead the generation after them.
Our annual 21 Days of Prayer will launch Monday, January 5th, centered on this very theme, using the powerful new guide from Strategic Renewal. If you didn’t get your copy last Sunday, grab one this Sunday, contact the church office, or order it directly from Strategic Renewal. Mark your calendars and plan to join us.
Church family, God is moving. He is raising up the next generation right in front of us. Let’s not miss it. Let’s commend His works to them with everything we have—depending wholly on Him in prayer—so that His mighty acts will be declared for years to come.
I love you, I’m thankful for you, and I can’t wait to see what the Lord will do in 2026.
For the next generation—and for His glory,
Pastor Marco