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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rachel Gardner, President of the Girl’s Brigade.

Today is the last day of my daughter being in school year 3. In normal times this would have marked the end of an exciting term. Around this time we’d expect to see hoards of young people going about the age-old tradition of writing on each other’s school shirts; etching their memories and marking this important life transition. Sitting exams, attending their prom, having their leaver’s assembly are all part of the story of growing up for many young people and they’re not happening. This can fill them with a keen sense of loss and sadness. One high school leaver put it like this, ‘You start school life and it’s like you’re writing a book. You know each chapter. But then suddenly the last page is ripped out and you don’t get to finish it. It leaves you feeling a bit lost.’

Although we may think that young people are more flexible when it comes to change, we must recognise that they will have to pay for both the economic and social costs of this crisis, facing its legacy of increased mental health, financial and employment concerns.

But even with all of this, the younger generations have so much to show us about how to emerge well from this time. Their involvement in speaking out against the injustice of racism and their willingness to embrace change and to be the change, is an incredible gift from God. In Luke’s gospel when Jesus called the children to come to him, he was showing how the Kingdom of God is about a vision for the future and the ones who will shape that future.

God, we thank you that the young people in our communities see the world in ways that we never will.

We honour them for coming of age at an unprecedented time. May they step into their future with confidence, compassion and hope, and may they hear us cheering them on!

Amen.