As this summer now officially gets started this week, I cannot get the image of children and youth out of my mind. Specifically, the images of children and youth spending summers getting to know Christ and experiencing Christ's love through the ministries of the church.
This past Monday, and again next Monday, we are moving deeper into our Vacation Bible School planning, and I have seldom been as overjoyed as I was Monday evening meeting with our first group of volunteers. To see people voluntarily giving of their time on a Monday evening when EVERYONE had other things to do was a joy. Thinking of them giving a week of evenings, much less the preparation time that goes into them, so that children can experience Christ's love is just mind-blowing.
The one thing that I failed to mention Monday, but I will mention this Monday, and as often as I can, is that teaching our children and youth about Christ is not something we can squeeze into pre-planned, pre-packaged blocks of time, places, and spaces. Far from it. Actually, we teach our children and youth more about the importance of our faith in Christ, and our true commitment, far beyond the walls of the church or its institutions. The words we say, the decisions we make...they watch us far more than we realize.
VBS is important, and I firmly believe there is not a one of you reading this that is not called to participate in the ministry of VBS at some level in your congregation.
However, the decisions you and I make right now, TODAY, are telling the children and youth of our lives far more about whether or not our faith, and the commitments we make based on our faith, really mean much at all.
As for me, I know that I am far from perfect on this. This I do know, however - if I don't keep reminding myself of this, then I'll never get it.
See you Sunday!
Lamar
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