“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:
 
These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven gold lampstands: I know your works, your labor, and your endurance. I also know that you don’t put up with those who are evil. You have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars.  You have shown endurance and put up with a lot for my name’s sake, and you haven’t gotten tired.  But I have this against you: you have let go of the love you had at first.  So remember the high point from which you have fallen. Change your hearts and lives and do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I’m coming to you. I will move your lampstand from its place if you don’t change your hearts and lives” (Revelation 2:2-5).

 
            The research is in.  Fewer millennials are attending church nowadays.  This comes as news to no one.  Adults aged nineteen to thirty-four are not showing up in mainline worship.  According to the people who study such things, relevancy is a primary obstacle.  Millennials claim that they cannot relate to what the Church has to offer on Sunday mornings.
 
            The friends of my twenty-something children have told me that they fail to see how worship benefits them.  On the surface, such a statement may appear to be rather narcissistic.  I disagree.  Worship should have value for everyone who enters into God’s presence.  Worship, if you will, keeps the spark of one’s relationship with Jesus alive.
 
            Consider a young couple that falls in love like the striking of a match.  The initial romance is sudden, dramatic, and fiery.  However, as the Righteous Brothers claim, both parties within the relationship soon will lose that lovin’ feeling.
 
            Yet, what purpose does a match have but to light a candle?  Of course, the candle isn’t as exhilarating as the match but the candle is much more beautiful and longer lasting.  The same principle is true of any relationship. Those whose candles have stayed burning for a long time can attest to a deeper passion for, as well as a greater attraction to, their beloved.
 
            What does all this talk of candle burning have to do with worship?  Well, those who initially come to faith in Jesus often find the flame of their heart burning hot and bright.  Yet, like any relationship, the fire quickly fades and loses its flicker.  Worship is the candle that keeps the fires of one’s heart alive and in love with Christ.  In fact, worship is the energy that moves the relationship toward greater levels of affection, trust, and intimacy.
 
            To all my millennial friends, perhaps what you are missing from the church isn’t so much a matter of relevancy as it is vibrancy.  What your hearts are truly seeking are ways to stoke the love of Christ that you initially experienced.  As a spiritual guide, my counsel is that you to find a place of worship in which you may consistently and deliberately fuel the fires of your faith.  Whatever you do be sure to keep that lovin’ feeling.