We don’t just value the next generation, but we entrust them—with our time, our space, our dollars, and our ministry. This means that everyone is invested in their spiritual growth, character development, and mission focus. 

Intro

Around here, we like to say, “Kids are not the church of tomorrow; they are the church of today.”

So, when we were brainstorming new church values, we knew we wanted this idea, so we came up with the phrase: [2] We entrust the next generation.

Why did we pick the word entrust?

• Trust is a belief—usually in someone’s character or ability.

• But entrust is an action. It means giving somebody care over something valuable.

I’ll be the first to tell you that this doesn’t always go well. Just ask my youth leader when I was a 16-year-old, brand-new Christian. I was at my first-ever church camp, and he needed some help carrying things, so he grabbed a few of us. At the top of 3 flights of outdoor stairs, he handed me a stack of round metal trays.

Well, as a teenage boy, I wanted to goof off and show off, so I started running down these stairs, teetering back and forth like I was about to drop these trays. And no, I didn’t. But, when I got to the bottom, and they took the lid off, these little cups of grape juice were spilled everywhere.

I was messing around with the communion cup holders! I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what communion was. But you know what? They didn’t yell at me or make me feel bad. They just asked me to help them refill them.

They entrusted me with something special… and I spilled it everywhere. But they continued to entrust me with things over the years. And that has stuck with me for the last 38 years.

God

There is power in entrusting the next generation. Nowhere in Scripture is this illustrated better than the origin story of the prophet Samuel as an infant and a young boy.

It illustrates what it looks like for older people to entrust a younger person with ministry, sacred space, and even God’s voice. It’s told in the book 1 Samuel, chapters 1-3, the last of which you heard in today’s Scripture Reading.

1. Hannah’s Dedication of Samuel

Chapter 1 begins with Hannah, heartbroken over being unable to have kids. Some of you know how deep that pain runs. I certainly do. She poured out her anguish before the Lord in prayer, vowing that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord for life.

God heard her prayers, and she eventually became pregnant and gave birth to Samuel. And then, she did the unimaginable—she gave him up. If WE got pregnant after decades of trying, I don’t know if I could do that. Be she did.

27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life, he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah trusted the Lord, so he entrusted Samuel to Him and placed him under the care of Eli, the priest. This is the first generational handoff.

In Hannah, we see the first lesson: Entrusting the next generation means you must trust God enough to let go. Otherwise, you’ll be fearful, controlling, and resistant to let go—holding too tightly to what ultimately belongs to God.

Back in 2008, there was a poignant moment at the Southeast Asian Leadership Summit in Hearndon, Virginia. A first-generation Cambodian pastor stood up and shared from his heart. It was through a translator to a primarily younger crowd. Here is a portion of what he said.

On behalf of the first generation…

We came from a war-torn country

And we tend to have that protectiveness,

Not allow the second-generation

Not allow, our children

To be led by the Lord

We tend to be too protective

And we failed to recognize the leading of God

To move to the next generation

I should have recognized the power of God

And allowed God's work within the church

And on behalf of the first-generation

I would like to apologize for that

His 5 minutes left the room speechless. It was so meaningful it simply became known as “The Moment.”

That man understands that to entrust the next generation, you must trust God enough to let go.

2. Eli Mentors Samuel in the Tabernacle

So, Hannah entrusted her preschooler Samuel to the elder priest Eli. And despite his own sons being wicked, immoral, and corrupt, Eli does an amazing job raising Samuel in the house of the Lord.

2:11 says: The boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.

2:18 says: Samuel was ministering before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.

2:26 says: The boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.

We see four things in these verses:

1. Samuel’s service was spiritually significant. The verb “ministered” here is the same word used for priests. He was doing real ministry, not just sweeping floors.

2. Samuel’s service was under mentorship. He served “under Eli the priest.” He was guided and trained by Eli. This is direct, hands-on-mentorship.

3. Samuel’s service led to personal and spiritual growth. Samuel’s development was holistic—he grew physically, spiritually, and socially.

4. Samuel’s service was set apart. [12] The linen ephod was sacred clothing that the priest would wear over his robe. And a kid was wearing it. Eli was entrusting sacred space and sacred clothing to young Samuel.

Here’s the second lesson: Entrusting the next generation means you must give them spiritually significant opportunities to serve and grow.

Here’s an example. This week, Pastor Jeremy and I talked about the youth helping in Riverkids. He wanted to let them do more than simply be room assistants. So, we brainstormed ways for the youth to serve kids in spiritually significant ways.

Our youth can be so much more than just babysitters. As you’ve seen in here, they can lead you in worship, recite ancient liturgies, and help you contemplate God’s Word. And this is only the beginning.

3. Eli’s Recognition of God’s Call on Samuel

Now comes chapter 3, but it starts out pretty dark.

• Samuel was maybe a pre-teen at this point, and Scripture says that he didn’t know the Lord yet.

• God wasn’t speaking much to the Israelites.

• The priests weren’t receiving visions.

• Eli, the priest, was old and nearly blind.

One night, Samuel was sleeping, and he heard a voice call out to him, “Samuel.” He thought it was Eli summoning him. Eli said, “Ugh! It wasn’t me. Go back to bed.” This happens two other times.

By the third time, Eli realizes what’s going on, and he does something incredible and life-changing for young Samuel.

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

This time, God didn’t just call out his name. He showed up! Samuel said, “Speak, I’m listening.” And God spoke. In fact, he gave Samuel his first prophetic word, which marked the beginning of a major shift in Israel’s history.

This was all because the older Eli taught the younger Samuel how to discern God’s voice. This is the most pivotal moment of generational entrustment. Eli, though spiritually dim and nearing the end of his leadership, discerns what Samuel cannot. But instead of holding onto his position and power, he guides Samuel to hear from God directly.

And here’s our third lesson: Entrusting the next generation means you must teach them how to hear and respond to God’s voice.

That is the greatest thing you can teach the next generation. It’s not:

• It’s not just teaching them the Bible without helping them experience God firsthand.

• It’s not making them follow religious rules instead of cultivating a real relationship with Jesus.

• It’s not expecting them to mimic out faith instead of helping them develop their own.

Application

How can we collectively live out this new church value—We entrust the next generation.

1. Trust God enough to let go.

• Like Hannah, we must release control, believing that God is at work in the next generation.

• Are we holding on too lightly, afraid of what might happen if we fully entrust our youth and kids with real ministry?

2. Give the next generation spiritually significant opportunities.

• Like Eli, we must mentor them, guide them, and then step back.

• Are we creating space for young people to serve in ways that make a spiritual difference in their lives and your lives, or are we just keeping them busy?

3. Teach them to hear God’s voice and then respond.

• Eli taught Samuel something he didn’t know—how to discern God’s voice.

• Samuel didn’t just hear from God—he acted.

• Do we empower our young people to boldly follow God, even when it’s uncomfortable for us?

Let me tell you a way I was challenged with these this week. Annabelle did a great job on today’s Scripture Reading. But if we had gone with my original idea, she might not have. I originally had her reading all of Chapter 3. But yesterday, he texted me and asked if someone else could read it with her since it was really long.

I’m so used to big chapters of the Bible that I forgot that it could be really intimidating for a high schooler. Then it struck me how much courage it must’ve taken her to text the Senior Pastor and question what he asked. I could’ve gotten defensive or protective, but thankfully I didn’t.

So, we worked it out where she just read verses 1-10. And you know what? It turned out better because I could focus on first half of the chapter. She improved the service and the sermon with her idea. Now, that’s an example of leading up.

Closing

So, adults, will we entrust the next generation? Samuel was entrusted, and he changed the course of Israel’s history. What if the next Samuel is sitting among us right now? A teenager, a child—waiting for someone to trust them, guide them, and release them to lead.

Our calling as a church is not just to raise up the next generation but to entrust them with God’s power and his presence, with his Word and his work today. Will you do that with us?