Singing Around the Throne

Heaven is our home! Jesus has already returned there to prepare a place for all believers!

In the Bible one of the pictures of heaven is that of a giant throne room. Sitting on the throne is the LORD, looking like a Lamb which had been killed but had come back to life. (An obvious reference to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who died and rose again!) Gathered around the throne are all of God's creatures -- all types of angels and races of people -- and they are singing God's praises!

We had a glimpse of that scene this week at VBS. The music has been excellent. The leadership - fabulous! The children -- heavenly! I've attended a lot of VBSes in my life and have heard a lot of children sing. What stands out this year is you can hear in the children's voices their worship. They are not just singing some "funky songs" but worshipping! This is truly awesome for me as a pastor to hear! To see God's Spirit at work in their lives fills my singing with praise!

There are many other reasons to praise God.

Awesome Teens & Pre-teens

We have over a dozen teenagers helping with our VBS this year and THEY ARE AWESOME! We have teenagers helping with Bible study, music, crafts, and recreation. It would fill any adult (and especially parents) with pride and hope for the future to see these teens at work. Praise God for the faith He has given them! He is evident in their leadership, enthusiasm, and love!

My official role at VBS this year is leading the Bible study for the "Leadersheep" age group (Grades 6 & 7). After their study time, each of these pre-teens help the adult leaders of the various activities. So, for example, some of the pre-teens are helping lead music, or with crafts, or recreation. Again, watching their joy and dedication would make any adult thankful to God!

As you know, the general VBS theme is "Follow the Lamb." It looks at the faith of the early Christians, many of whom had to worship in secret lest they be killed for being a believer. Wanting to have the class ponder their own commitment, I have ended each lesson with an excerpt from the website "Voice of the Martyrs."

That site looks at the struggles of modern day Christian in various countries around the world. By the time we get to Friday's class we will have heard stories from Christians in China, Tibet, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, and Sudan.

Talk again tomorrow! Pastor Dan