Why Vacation Bible School

We are a week away from the start of our annual Vacation Bible School, a week of bible stories, arts and crafts, games, snacks and silliness. There is some debate and discussion of the efficacy of vacation bible school. It is a lot of work, often a lot of money and a lot of arm twisting to get volunteers. Often we query, what's the return? Which leads, inevitably, to the question of what's the point? Are we trying to gain new souls for Jesus? Are we trying to recruit new members to the church? Are we providing some wholesome diversion for children or maybe a respite for parents during the long, hot summer?

The answer, I think, is yes to all of these questions. Most importantly we are creating a forum, a time and a place, to share the love of Christ. Loving others is not in the declaration of love. We can not rest with the claim that, why yes we do love our neighbors. We have to put some skin in the game. Enthusiastically welcoming a few dozen children into our church, creating skits and games, making puppets and terrariums, and animating the parables of Jesus is our way of showing Christ's love.  We model God's love of world and of the individual to the children, to each other and to anyone who cares to look.

What is the return from the investment of time, talent and tithe in VBS? What is the return of any ministry? How can it be measured? Maybe we are scattering the metaphorical seeds or maybe we are nurturing the seeds planted by others, maybe we will see some harvest. As is often the case when dealing with God and when dealing with people, we must take a step in faith that where we are faithful in sincerely sharing God's love, with patience, kindness, self-control and all the other fruits of the Spirit, God will be faithful to use our efforts to His purposes. VBS is not a means of making art and memorizing scripture. It is the time and place we set apart to love others as Christ loves without measuring the return.

Start with the end in mind

    It is Easter day. The end of what sometimes seemed like a long lenten season. Lent is an example of a season that starts with the end in mind. Lent leads us toward Easter. The disciplines of prayer, fasting, attending worship and acts of self denial are the flagstones in the path we are paving toward a rewarding and heart felt celebration of Easter and the risen Christ. Acts of self denial and discipline are not often anticipated with relish. They are the hard work, slowly and incrementally, leading to the end, to the joy of Easter. Doing the things we least want to do , the things that are tiring and tedious and inconvenient these are the moves we make to inch our way toward that end denying ourselves the easy path today in order to experience the greater reward of the goal attained tomorrow.


    Remember the end while you are in the middle in parenting your children. Just as the third and fourth weeks of Lent are a low time so also are there low times in parenting. There are times in Lent when Easter does not seem to be in sight, but it is there just around the corner. When raising children it is so easy to think that it will last forever so what does one night or week of homework matter, what does  a little disrespect hurt? Just as the practices of Lent seems to work like compound interest, adding up rewards faster than you would have thought, so to are the rewards of staying focused on the task of raising children. Keep the end in mind. Strong, respectful, loving Christian men and and women of God are what we are striving for.  At the end the celebration will be as joyous as an Easter morning after a long lent.