Where is your home?
What does your home look like? Is it a house or an apartment? Is it big or small? Is it in the country or in the city? I’ll tell you about my home – my home is huge!! There is enough room for 100 billion kazillion people or more to live there. It is very beautiful, with a big golden gate around it and white fluffy clouds everywhere. There is a very big golden chair, a throne, surrounded by a rainbow, and on that throne sits a Lamb. Can you guess where my home is? It’s heaven.
Oh, I have a home here on earth, where I live with my husband and kids, but it is only temporary. It keeps our stuff together, and shelters us from the rain and winter, and has lots of things in it that I like, but I won’t live here forever.
When Jesus left his home in heaven to come to earth, he had a job to do. His job was to show us how to live lives that are pleasing to God, to suffer and die on the cross for our sins, and to defeat death and rise again. On Easter Sunday, Jesus completed his work. And where do people go when they are finished work? They go home. So, Jesus went to his home, in heaven.
Before Jesus was arrested and taken to be crucified, he told his disciples that, when he went back to heaven, he would prepare a place for them. And, one day, the disciples would live with him in heaven forever. And he told them to go into the world and teach other people about God and baptize them so they could live in heaven too. God loves everyone and wants us all to live with him forever.
Even when Jesus was dying on the cross, he still wanted to help people. The prisoner, the criminal, who was hanging on the other cross asked, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. And Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” How amazing is that? Read Luke 23:39-43.
I love my home where I live with my family. But I can’t wait to see my new home, the home Jesus is building for me in heaven. A lot of people are afraid to die, afraid of the end of the world. But not me. I know that Jesus is coming back for me. How do I know? Read Thessalonians 4:13-18.
VBS Snacks & Why We Chose Them:
This year, our VBS theme was the early Church. We tried to show the children as much of the era as we could, by integrating it into every aspect of the VBS program. And snacks were no exception! We came up with snacks that would have been available to these early Christians, but still inexpensive and readily available (and readily eaten!).
Day 1 Snack: Trail mix made from goldfish crackers, craisins, raisins, and pretzels.
Goldfish Crackers: The goldfish crackers symbolize the "IXOYE", the fish symbol that early Christians used as a code to identify each other.
Craisins/Raisins: These represent major fruits of the era; fresh grapes would have been very expensive compared to dried fruits. Imagine a powerful figure, lounging, being fed grapes by a servant! Preserving these fruits would have extended their life and made them more appealing to the average person.
Pretzels: Pretzels were a Lenten food; the twisted shape represents arms folded in prayer.
Day 2 Snack: Mini Pitas filled with Fruit Jam
Pitas were a popular bread-form during the time of the early Christians.
Day 3 Snack: Fresh Veggies (assorted)
Many of the early Christians would have cultivated their own foods. Any food that was not grown in their own gardens or farms would have been purchased from the marketplace. In that respect, fresh vegetables are pretty representative of this era.
Day 4 Snack: Frozen "Ice Cream Sandwiches" made with Graham Wafers and Yogurt
Yogurt: Known since ancient times, this simple food has many qualities which make it a precious help for the human body and a tasty ingredient for the preparation of many recipes.
Graham Wafers: Although graham wafers are not very ancient, the wafers themselves represent the wafers we partake during the sacrament of Communion.
Day 5: Cookies
Well, it just wouldn't be VBS without cookies! But, although maybe not ancient, cookies go back a pretty long way too. Alan Davidson wrote an "encyclopedia" of the biology, history, and culture of food, called the Oxford Companion to Food. In it, he traces the origin of cookies back before the middle ages, to Rome, where the Roman Chef Apicius boiled a thick paste of fine wheat flour, hardened it, fried until crisp, and served with honey and pepper. Cookies as we know them today probably weren't invented until the 1800s.
Check it out:
Summer heat may keep kids cooped up inside, but LHM's JCPlayZone can keep them from getting bored. And it now features daily devotions for kids. Fun new games, crafts, recipes, activities, coloring pages, and e-cards focusing on summer are also on the site. Music from "That's the Joy," a CD produced by Bobby and Julie Schroeder of BLS Ministries in Leawood, Kansas, has been added as well.
A companion Web site called JCParentZone offers access to relevant information on parenting from a Christian perspective. The articles and spiritual questions are updated regularly. Articles address topics such as discipline, family time, and conflict.
Click HERE to view Volume 4 of the "Follow the Lamb News", our VBS newsletter!
Word of the Day:
Ascension: The lifting of Christ's body from earth to heaven.
