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Hello St. John’s Family,
When life feels dark… SHINE JESUS’ LIGHT!
When good things happen… SHINE JESUS’ LIGHT!
When people don’t get along… SHINE JESUS’ LIGHT!
If you were within earshot of St. John’s between 9am and noon this week, you likely heard the collective roar of 34 young voices (and a few not-as-young voices too!) affirming how followers of Christ are to shine Jesus’ light in any and every situation we encounter in our lives. The children have not only heard, but also seen and experienced the light and love of Christ through stories, games, songs, experiments, videos, snacks, a fire truck (yes, you read that correctly), a couple of band-aids, and all kinds of adventures. All of which were accompanied by the reverberating sound of joyous chatter, laughs and giggles, and raised voices that just could not be held in. Here at St. John’s Vacation Bible School, children have experienced mornings full fun and joy, as they’ve learned about the God who loves them so much. And let’s face it… all of that cannot be done quietly!
The opening words of Psalm 100 say Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, and I’m quite confident I’ve been hearing joyful noises of excitement and praise all week long. Seeing the unbridled joy and enthusiasm in the children here have been a good reminder for me of how we’re all called to express our thanks and praise to God for the many good things in our lives. Acknowledging God in our times of goodness and strength reminds us how God is the source of all the good things in our lives. I believe this also helps us to turn to God in the dark and difficult moments, as we know the God of light and love will not abandon us in our tough times. Much like rays of the sun are always present – even when clouds block out much of its light – the Holy Spirit of God is with us always, especially in our difficult times. We never want to forget that.
So, I hope you’ll continue to pray for the children, and all those working so hard to make our week of VBS amazing, such that our week concludes well and that many of the new relationships that are being made will continue long past Friday. I also ask you to pray for all those in our community who are hurting, especially those struggling to process the devastating loss of life caused by Saturday’s flash flooding. May glimmers of light return, shining hope and peace into a dark time filled with so many questions. If possible, consider pausing to pray at 7pm this evening, in unison with the prayers being offered during the vigil at Washington Crossing UMC.
I also hope you’ll join us in worship on Sunday, when we’ll explore a somewhat confusing parable Jesus uses to describe the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to a wheat field that is suddenly full of weeds. While our instinct is to act, the master of the homestead says to hold off – until the harvest. Check out Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43, then join us on Sunday as we consider how this parable offers insight into some of the most vexing questions of life.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Brad
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