VBS is over, and now everybody is going back to normal. Analyses are being made, pictures are being looked at, funny things discussed, problems observed, next year’s VBS is initially forecast, and kids and adults have another great memory of church stored up in their hearts.
VBS does more than just teach. That’s good and necessary, but there is always more to these kind of things. It also causes fellowship.
Everybody got together for a full week and did all kinds of things. And the amazing thing about it is that very few were actually paid to do it. The vast majority, if not almost all, were doing it voluntarily. They did it out of pure love. They gave up time after work, time when they could be doing other things to stand around and jump around and sing and play and teach a bunch of kids.
That is the amazing thing about almost every VBS: it is done almost entirely on volunteer effort. People do it because they love God and they love children.
The tiredness at the end of the week is worth it because they have done something great with their week. They have shown active and sacrificial love to a hundred or so kids. And they have done it out of the generosity of their hearts.
People in the world do not understand this. To them it is a waste.
Jesus said, This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers (1 John 3:16). He “put himself out” for us, to make it sound minimal, I guess, when he gave up Godhood and took up humanity. He gave up part of himself to be with us.
VBS workers do the same thing. They give up time and energy and sometimes money for teaching materials and all. For one week, they lay down their lives for a bunch of children.
And it is a beautiful thing to see: people with that much love and compassion and desire to teach the love of Jesus and his grace in our lives.
VBS people are among the elect of God. Again, Jesus said, Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Matthew 10:39). People lost a lot of time last week, but they have gained a lot of glory.
Thank God for our VBS workers. They are angels in his kingdom.
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