The Pastor’s Piece
FCFI
June 23, 2024
We just wrapped up a week of Vacation Bible School at our church. Every year at this time
we host four mornings of jam-packed activities centered on Jesus Christ and His life, death,
and resurrection. This year’s theme was “Hometown Nazareth – Where Jesus Was A Kid.”
The sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall were transformed to look like what Nazareth may
have looked like in Jesus’ day. The Bible lessons each day focused on Jesus growing up
and then going to the cross to pay for our sins and rising from the dead, giving eternal life to
those who put their trust in Him. The games and the crafts carried that theme. A lot of work
goes into the decorations, the crafts, the games, and the snacks. Our volunteers put a lot of
thought and effort into making these experiences unique and life-changing. It’s an amazing
week and the rewards are beyond words.
We get the whole church involved. Our student to staff ratio is 2:1. Dozens and dozens of
children and volunteers participate every day. One might think that it would become
overwhelming to try to keep that many kids focused and behaved at once. But it is not. The
kids are so well-behaved I think their parents would not believe it. There’s a lot of energy in
the room, but when directed in the right direction, that energy turns into joy and happiness
and it is displayed in children’s faces. They are lit up with joy.
I have the privilege each year of teaching the Bible lesson. It can be a challenge trying to
tell the story of the good news of Jesus to a group of people with so many different
backgrounds and levels of Bible knowledge. It may be a challenge for us, but it’s not for
God. He knows how to make His Word relevant in each one’s life – young and old alike. And
that is our prayer every day.
We also have two 15 passenger vans out on the highways and byways picking up students
who need a ride. I get to drive one of those vans. There is no joy quite like the joy of pulling
into a driveway and seeing the kids standing in line waiting, and then cheering and jumping
for joy at the sight of the church van. The anticipation of what the morning holds simply
overwhelms them. And in my mind – it’s good to be a kid again.
And it’s more than just the kids that benefit. Our motto is, “VBS is for everybody.” We invite
young and old alike to attend. Along with our seasoned adults, some of our teenagers are
assigned to travel with one of our three groups of youngsters from station to station. Many
adults work in the Fellowship Hall and kitchen preparing and serving snacks and cleaning
up afterward. Many parents come just to observe and be involved from a distance. Some
bring their older children, then stay with their babies. Everyone participates. And God gets
the glory.
At my last stop yesterday, while dropping the kids off at their homes, the dad of one of our
students struck up a conversation with me in the driveway. He stood outside in the hot sun
while I sat in the van with the window down, enjoying the cool air-conditioning while we
talked. His neighbor saw us chatting and decided to come over and join us. It didn’t take
long for him to jump into our conversation about VBS, although he was a bit of a skeptic
when it came to the Jesus talk. He didn’t know how anything or anyone could help him in
his current situation. His wife had just left him. He had a lot of regrets and sorrows and was
just not in a good place. He listened while my friend explained the love of Jesus to him and
how God doesn’t just automatically remove us from our problems, but He does promise to
walk with us as we go through them. My friend then invited him to church. He said he was
not much of a church guy, but he would consider it. He gave him directions on how to get
there and that’s where we left it.
As I look back on that conversation, I can’t help but think of the old saying: “When all else
fails, read the directions.” We have the Operator’s Manual of life right in our hands in the
Word of God – the Bible. There God identifies our problem (we are sinners in need of a
Savior) and gives us the solution to all life’s problems. And that solution is a relationship
with God through Jesus Christ. That’s the broad stroke of the brush. Individually, He cares
about each one of us and is waiting for us to reach out to Him. Too many people won’t even
consider God’s way, even when they are mired in the muck of life and see no way out. I
want to know: How is life without reference to God working out for you?
When all else fails, read the directions. God tells us how to rise above the circumstances of
life – self-inflicted or not – And He sets us up on the high ground.
(Kevin Cernek is Lead Pastor of Martintown Community Church in Martintown, Wisconsin