“All I Needed to Know I Learned at VBS” 

Mark 6:1-13 

All I ever need to know I learned at Vacation Bible School this week!

I am so lucky to have an opportunity to do this wonderful Christian work, and this week I was doubly blessed to spend 20 hours at Vacation Bible School with 70 kids from this valley. We did all the things you're supposed to do at VBS - we sang songs, played games, made crafts, had snacks, and celebrated with each other. A whole slew of adult and youth volunteers helped out this year. Some helped lead crews of children ages 5 to 5^th grade. These crew leaders would take the children to different stations and basically be their guides through Vacation Bible School Other adults and youth ran the stations. There were five stations - Chatters Desert Drive-In (a video station), Grande Games, Cactus Crafts, Hot Bible Adventures (a drama station), and Maraca Munchies. Still others assisted with various jobs that had to be done.

We also learned five major Bible points as we studied Jesus and His life. As I watched this week progress, I realized that all I ever need to know, I learned at Vacation Bible School.

Now, if you're looking for quiet, blindly obedient children (or adults for that matter) you won't find them at our VBS! Our kids hoot and holler, they yell and dance and they shout and carry on. They ask a million questions and have opinions about everything. Whenever a Bible Point was made (a simple phrase like “Jesus is our Friend”) - the kids threw their hands in the air and yelled “Viva!”  

The first lesson I learned from the enthusiasm of the kids was be yourself - and be proud of who you are. Have fun - let your light shine through. Don't be afraid to shout out loud and sing the praises of Jesus. 

In our first Bible point we learned that Jesus is our friend. VIVA! Sorry, we can't help it! Four friends heard that Jesus was preaching and teaching in a small room down the road. They had heard the stories that He was a miracle worker, that Jesus could heal the sick and raise the dead. They decided that they would bring their friend - a paralyzed man - to Jesus to be healed. They took a simple mat and carried their friend to Jesus. But when they reached the door, it was too full, there was no room to get their friend to Jesus. Instead of giving up, turning around or leaving, they decided to try something different. They walked up the stairs onto the roof of the house; they cut a hole in the ceiling and lowered their injured friend down to where Jesus was. Jesus healed the man, because he was so impressed with of the faith of the paralyzed man's friends. It wasn't the faith of the paralytic that Jesus saw, but the faith of his friends. Jesus responded to their faith and healed the man. For better or worse, our faith affects others. We may or may not be able to convert others to become Christians, but we can do much through our words, enthusiasm, actions, and love. We are challenged and called to live a Christian life, and to be ourselves and let our own light shine, and through our own honest effort and our own search for Christian compassion we can be friends to others like the invalid's friends were to him and like Jesus is to us.

For my daughter Sophie, this week was an amazing experience. It was really the first time she ever got to go to “school” and on Monday morning she was excited beyond belief. When she was going into class she met a little boy, Ryan, who was rather scared to go into the classroom and Sophie was trying to encourage him to go with her. Before too long, Sophie herself was scared and wasn't sure she wanted to go either. In the end, Ryan took Sophie's hand and together they held hands and faced the great unknown behind the classroom door. My second lesson was to be a good friend. The things you do will affect others. And sometimes you cannot imagine how a small word or encouragement can change someone's day, week or maybe life. 

Jesus is our life. Day two taught us that Lazarus had recently died, and Jesus did not come home to heal him. Mary and Martha were unhappy that Jesus did not come back, and were afraid and sad that their brother had died. Jesus spoke to Martha and asked her if she believed in Him. He said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will never die.” She said she believed. Jesus then went to the tomb and said “Lazarus come out!” and Lazarus woke and went out of the tomb. It is clear that Lazarus died for a reason, so Jesus could show his power over death to those around him. This is a critical belief in the Christian faith - Jesus has the power to raise others. He is our life. When we realize his power and how wonderful his gift to us really is, how can we help but commit our lives to him! I am so blessed to have many great leaders helping with VBS. Laura Sawyer, Andrea Griffiths and I direct VBS together, and this year, because of family vacations, summer school, and illnesses; we were going to be short four crew leaders on both Thursday and Friday and we didn't know what to do! Amazingly, we had people come out of the woodwork to help up on those two days. In the end, we had more than enough people to help out for Vacation Bible School. The third lesson I learned was that Jesus has you covered. When we come together in His name, all sorts of good things can happen, and the wonderful volunteers and leaders who came to teach and help this year blessed us all.  

Our third Bible point was that Jesus is our leader! What does it mean to be a leader? Robert Greenleaf said “The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.” An old Chinese Proverb states “Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men,” and Fred Smith writes “Leadership is getting people to work for you when they are not obligated.”  

Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee - and saw two brothers, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, fishing in the sea. He went to them and said only two lines, and the brothers followed. Jesus said only “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The Bible states that AT ONCE they dropped their nets and followed. But those were not all the fishermen that Jesus was able to persuade to follow…James and John left their father Zebedee to follow Jesus.  

During the third day at Bible School I was struggling with my own ability to lead. I was having a hard time getting the kids to follow my directions, especially my own kids. Sometimes I picture myself as a great leader, able to move mountains and part the ocean and its difficult for me to see and recognize that leadership is a skill that requires work and humility and patience and time. I felt like I was herding cats on Wednesday, but I accepted my own failings. I was thankful for Laura Sawyer and her help. I learned on Wednesday that ONLY Jesus is a born leader. The rest of us are fated to struggle and study and labor and wait for our own leadership abilities to develop. Through work, maturity and experience we can all learn to lead like Christ, who lead minimally, fairly, and honestly, with little flair, but words that are simple and to the point. 

We learned from our next Bible point that Jesus is our Savior. A flood was on its way, forcing everyone to evacuate. The police rowed up to the most pious woman in town and said, "Ma'am, you have to leave this house! People are dying out here!"  The woman replied, "No, I'm not leaving. God has always helped me before, and He will do it again." So as the water started to rise, she went to the second story of her house. Another boat came by, and the captain yelled, "Ma'am, you have to get on this boat or you're going to drown!" The woman replied again, "No, God helped me before, and He will do it again." The water rose even higher. This time she went to the top of the roof, where a helicopter came and hovered overhead. The pilot called into his loudspeaker, "Please climb aboard, ma'am. You are going to drown!" The women sniffed and again replied, "God is going to save me!" But the water rose higher, and soon she drowned to death. She went to Heaven, and there she asked God, "Why didn't you save me, O Lord?"  And God replied, "I did help--I sent you two boats and a helicopter!” 

We sometimes expect different things from Jesus, our Savior. As adults, we expect and want good things to come to us, and only the good things. We pray only when we need something, or when times are rough. We forget about Jesus when we are happy and healthy and strong. The kids at VBS prayed all day and fully accepted that Jesus was alive and died and rose again. They know that He died for our sins. They do not doubt, but have hope and complete understanding of why He would do this. And why not? Kids look at Jesus as an older brother or a father figure - someone willing to die for them. Someone who DID die for them! The faith that I saw in the children was amazing. The lesson I learned that day was that money and riches only get us so far, and while study and learning is important, it may not get us any closer to Jesus. Like Jesus said we all must be like children in order to reach the Kingdom of God. The children knew - Jesus is our Savior, without doubt. 

Our final Bible point was that Jesus is our helper. Saul was a very pious Jewish man who was after Christian believers. He was on his way to persecute men in Damascus, but on the road the Lord blinded him and told him to go to Damascus. The Lord also told Ananias, a faithful Christian to go the home where Saul was, and to heal him. Ananias was afraid, he knew that Saul was a mean and unjust man, but he trusted in the Lord and he went. He healed Saul in the spirit of love and compassion and forgot his own fear. This was the beginning of a new life for Paul, who became one of the most influential Christians ever. Other than Christ himself, no person shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul. Ananias feared the meeting with Saul but followed the Lord's instruction and greeted him as Brother Saul…and showed him love, mercy and compassion. It is not always easy to love others, especially if we are afraid or doubt their motives. We must follow Jesus's command and Ananias's example showing loving acceptance to other believers and nonbelievers. 

No huge miracles happened at our VBS. No Sauls were here, persecuting the children who were trying to learn about Christianity. Yet, I can't help but wonder how many Pauls there could have been. How many children will Bible School affect, how many nonbelievers became believers. As we said before, one word, one look, one gesture can make all the difference. The effect may not be noticeable for years, but someday we may learn that it was during this VBS when everything changed for some children. I know that God was in this church during this week…and that simple acts of kindness and fun and excitement can create lifelong memories for both children and adults.   

I learned many other simple lessons from VBS as well. If a child is crying or sad, food and hugs can do wonders for her disposition. I learned that glue and hair don't mix well, that preschoolers can dance for 30 minutes without a break - and that I can't. I learned to appreciate the few calm moments as they were rare; to always try to be five minutes early; and that ice cream can almost always make the day brighter. Mostly though, I learned that we, this church, is blessed. Blessed by the awesome children and youth, blessed with the spirit of Christ in our volunteers, blessed by fun, enthusiasm and joy, and blessed by the amount of love felt in these walls the past week. Christ taught that as children we will enter the kingdom, and this week, all at Vacation Bible School were able to live like children for a short amount of time.   

June 25, 2006

Emily Zebarth

First Presbyterian Church

Logan, Utah