Jul
18
Written by:
Dennis Atwood
7/18/2009 9:45 AM
There are a lot of great things about the annual summer rite of passage we in the church
know as Vacation Bible School. The basic thrust of VBS hasn’t changed a lot since I was a kid: Bible stories, fun, snacks, singing, crafts, etc. But the form is way more cool now. The songs are more contemporary and upbeat, the snacks are more creative, the themes are more modern, and the decorations are more elaborate.
These days there is no marching into the sanctuary and pledging to the flags and the Bible. There is no watered-down Kool-Aid, no dry cookies. But the focus is still on the children. Even in their world of Nintendo, X-Box, and the Internet, their innocence and thirst for God becomes evident during VBS week. Their complex world is simplified for a few days in the summer. I am reminded that our children are still in many ways an open canvas waiting to be painted.
The old VBS concept is simple: share the truth of the Bible and God’s love with the children. The form and the structure have changed with the times, but the basic thrust has remained the same. Maybe there’s something there for the older generations of the church to learn and apply for “big church.”
I love to see the children laughing, learning, dancing, and singing. What I’m thinking is that we grownups need to be reminded that Jesus said “it is to such as these that the the kingdom of heaven belongs.”