“I preached on the Education of Children wherein we are so shamefully wanting. Many were now deeply convinced of this. I hope they will not all stifle that conviction.”
– November 30,1766

“At eight, and at one, the house was thoroughly filled. About three I met between nine hundred and a thousand of the children belonging to our Sunday schools. I never saw such a sight before. They were all exactly clean, as well as plain, in their apparel. All were serious and well-behaved. Many, both boys and girls, had as beautiful faces as, I believe, England or Europe can afford. When they all sung together, and none of them out of tune, the melody was beyond that of any theatre, and what is best of all, many of them truly fear God, and some rejoice in His salvation. These are a pattern to all the town. Their usual diversion is to visit the poor that are sick (sometimes six, or eight, or ten together), to exhort, comfort, and pray with them. Frequently ten or more of them get together to sing and pray by themselves; sometimes thirty or forty; and are so earnestly engaged, alternately singing, praying, and crying, that they know not how to part. You children that hear this, why should not you go and do likewise? Let God arise and maintain His own cause, even “out of the mouth of babes and sucklings!”
– April 20, 1788

John Wesley valued children and their spiritual formation as seen in the above journal entries. Two things stood out to me. The first was the initiative these young people had to visit the poor who were sick and the second was the initiative of these young people to pray together alternatively singing, praying, and crying. Imagine if our young people connected on line to authentically worship God together instead of connecting online together to play video games. If God is the same today as He was yesterday let us plead to Him to so work in our young people’s hearts the same transforming power.

P.S. This is unlikely to take place if the idols of pleasure and immediate gratification remain securely entrenched in our souls.