All People

I must confess.
As an adult, I’ve never been a huge fan of VBS.
Once I’m at VBS, I’m usually fine.
But getting excited about it has always been something I’ve struggled with.
This year was no exception.
Until Sunday morning when I was reminded of something:
When VBS is done right, it draws in people from the community—
some of which have never been to church before.
And Antioch does VBS right.
When people come in from the community,
they may not know the ways of the church—
the language, the actions, the unspoken expectations.
And when people come in from the community,
they may not look or sound like those in the church—
in color, in fashion, in speech.
But when people come in from the community,
it is our job as the church to welcome them—
wholly, completely, without question.
As Phillip demonstrated with the Ethiopian eunuch—
a man previously rejected time and time again
because his body could never be whole and
who he was would always be different than the expected norm—
The Kingdom of God,
through the love and life of Jesus Christ,
is a place for all people.
ALL people.
It’s our job, then, as believers in this Christ,
to make our churches the same.
If nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus,
then we must not do things that would try to separate persons from the same.
In that light, VBS began to shift a bit in my mind.
And I’m trying to see things a bit differently this year…
Although, I must admit that it helps that this year’s music is not quite as gimmicky as year’s past.
I’ll take “We’re on a journey…journey off the map” as an earworm over “Amazon Outfitters” any day .