I didn’t have to go to drill as part of my military duties today, so I was able to meet a friend for Saturday morning coffee. I did my morning routine, put on a pair of shorts and t-shirt, running shoes, cap, and headed downstairs to my car. I drove down the hills and finally arrived at the local coffee shop he and I frequent. We both pulled into the parking lot at the same time and walked in together and ordered our bagels and coffee.

While standing in line, a lady turned around and said enthusiastically, “Hey, Jon!”

She’d caught me off guard, because I was watching the lady behind the counter toast my bagel. “Hi,” I returned.

“How’s the church going?” she asked. I suddenly realized I had not introduced my friend to her. Picking up on the timing, she introduced herself to him, and we all swapped pleasantries and caught up while we waited for our coffee and bagels.

My friend and I took a table outside (I don’t do well when it comes to hearing if there’s a crowd), as is our custom.

He had a couple of books with him–one of Christian creeds and confessions and another volume, an overview of church history. We discussed snippets of the week we’d had–things going on at work, with church, and more. And like all of our conversations, there was a genuineness that is lacking in most interactions. We really listened to one another.

He spoke of his longing to see his congregation reach the younger generations–Gens Z and Alpha. Inside my head, I was trying to make sure I had the accurate demographics in mind. I listened. Several terms recurred in his monologue. He said that people of my generation (I’m in my 50s) grew up and church was just what we did. Literally, there were churches on every street corner. People went Sundays, Wednesdays, etc. but the results were often scant. There was little to any depth. People went out of cultural conformity and tradition. It was comfortable. “It was just what you did,” he said.

“But people my age [he’s in his thirties] are hungry for purpose, connection, and meaning,” he said.

I found myself listening deeply.

When it was appropriate for me to speak, I told him what I’d understood him to have said.

“Yes, that’s right,” he said.

I had a woman who said to me months back a phrase that came to mind and I shared it with him.

“You know, I had a woman tell me some time back that people didn’t really desire truth. What they desire is comfort.”

“She’s right, Jon. That’s most people,” he said.

I love these Saturday morning conversations with my young friend. We exchange stories of our weeks. We listen carefully to one another. We speak of books we’re poring through. We sip our coffee and munch our bagels. We enjoy the staff at our local coffee shop. We speak of our love of the gospel and the church, and of how much we need to be more faithful in reaching the outside world with the message that satisfies the longings for purpose, connection, and meaning. We are, after all, made for meaning. And I think it may more often than not be found not in entertainment, online doomscrolling, and light shows. I think it is found in one-on-one conversations and investments with hungry souls right across the table from us.