Because We Said We Would

Vacation Bible School is upon us! I love seeing all the children and excitement in the building during VBS, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. This morning as I got up and prepared myself for the day, a nagging and annoying thought came into my head, “Do I really need to be there?” I have worked with teenagers for over 20 years but little children sometimes overwhelm me.

I know what it is like to do something outside of your comfort zone for the greater good of God’s kingdom. This past Sunday in the second week of our sermon series, Living the Spirit Life, we looked at how divine wisdom calls us to trust God and know we are not alone even in difficult times. Living the Spirit life is about understanding the power that divine wisdom can provide for difficult journeys. The wisdom Jesus promises isn’t a promise of prophetic powers or a glimpse into the details of a worldly future. The truth that is shared is the truth about the kingdom of God. It is the truth about living in community. It is the truth about reconciliation and about forgiveness, about grace and judgment.

Selfishness keeps us from being who God has called us to be. I remember an encounter I had with a young lady that I had the fortune to meet at one our North Texas Bridgeport children’s camps. She shared with me that she was going to Junior High Camp this summer at Bridgeport because she promised some girls that she would. In a picture she took she was wearing a shirt that said, “Because I said I would” and that was why she said she was going, because she said she would.

In our membership vows in the United Methodist Church we make a promise to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. This means that when the nagging and annoying thought enters our mind and asks, “do I really need to be there?” The answer is yes, because we said we would.

I am incredibly thankful to all the volunteers that have shown up this week at VBS, some of these volunteers have come from other Methodist churches in our area. They came just because they said they would. They knew it wouldn’t be an easy week, but the reward has been knowing that we are impacting the lives of children in the Lake Cities area for the Kingdom of God! It’s been a great week and I am very excited to see the fruits in the seeds we have planted.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church