Grace Lutheran Church

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+ In Nomine Jesu +

The Rev. Evan Gaertner
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost                                                                     "You'll love to tell the Story!"
July 24, 2005                                                                                                                                      John 20:31

This past week was a wonderful adventure for the children attending our congregation's offering of Vacation Bible School titled "Safari Adventure." Today I want to outline for you why these kids went home every night wanting to tell the story of Jesus to their parents and to their friends. I believe that you too will love to tell the story. The theme verse for the whole week was John 20:31 "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name." John, an apostle of the Lord, was fulfilling his apostolic purpose through the writing of his gospel. He did not write about Jesus to create a biography. He did not write about Jesus because he thought it would be an entertaining story. John told the story because the story of Jesus is the story that gives life.

I want to share the fun of VBS with you today. Each day had a theme, an animal, and of course the telling of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The first day's theme was "Find the King!"

Jesus is our king, sent to save the world from sin. The story told to the children this day was of the wise men who looked up to the star and found the king. Jesus is the king that comes in the midst of our suffering to rescue you and me. You and I can look up to the Bible and find the king's purpose is to rescue you from sin.

The giraffe named stretch was the animal for the first day. To find a two story tall giraffe the kids learned that they needed look up. To find the king of our lives we look up to Jesus. We discover when we look up to Jesus on the cross that he is in fact looking down at us. Not with the look of judgment and anger and wrath that we deserve, but rather Jesus looks at you and me and the whole world with eyes of salvation.

Day two was "Follow the King!"

Jesus chooses us to follow Him, just as he did His first followers. We are followers of Jesus because he is guiding us onto paths of righteousness. Jesus has called you to follow him. The story for day two "follow the king" was about Jesus calling the disciples to an unordinary life. The day may have started ordinary but became unordinary when Jesus got into Simon Peter's boat and had him put out a little from shore. Jesus taught the people from the boat and when he had finished speaking he told Peter to put his net down into the deep water. Peter had worked hard all night and he had not caught anything. Ordinarily fish would not be were Jesus told him to put down his net, but Peter obeyed Jesus and put down the net into the deep water. They caught such large number of fish that they had to signal to other boats to come help them haul in the catch. When Peter realized that Jesus was not an ordinary man he said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man." Peter understood only God could make this miracle happen. Jesus' actions made Peter understand the limitations of his own human nature.

Peter's reaction is a reminder to all of us that when confronted by the holiness our only action can be one of repentance and faith. Jesus said to Peter, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men." It is only by faith in Jesus that we are righteous in God's eyes. It is only through Jesus that we are children of the kingdom of God.

How did an elephant help us remember this Bible story. Ellie the elephant taught the children how elephants follow each other by linking their trunks and tails. The elder elephants lead the younger elephants to places of refreshment. In our congregation it is essential that parents, grandparents, and all of us lead our children into paths of righteousness. Jesus invites us to follow Him!

On day three we focused on how it is important "Know the King!" Jesus forgives sin and gives us new lives with Him. Jesus is one of the most used words in America. Sometimes positively but other times the name of Jesus is used vacant of its glorious meaning. I want you to know the king.

On Wednesday the kids learned Jesus will not give up on us. I hope today you leave hear wanting to love to tell this good news to others. There will be times when others that you love will disappoint you. Anybody can promise you the world, but not just anyone can deliver on that promise. But even while all creation is groaning under the weight of sin, your God has promised to forgive your sins and give you a new life in Him.

The story from the Bible that taught the strength and persistence of God's love for us was Jesus healing the paralyzed man. The house was so crowded that this man's four friends had to lower him down through the roof. These men did not give up on bringing their paralyzed friend to the feet of Jesus. Jesus forgave his sins and healed his body. Jesus saw that sin was a problem in the man's life. In fact, sin was not just a problem in that man's life but sin is a problem for all people because all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Rocky the rhinoceros warned the children that rhinos are stubborn and persistent. The man's friends were persistent in bringing him to see Jesus. They didn't give up. Jesus didn't give up on us either. He died on the cross to forgive our sins. Jesus forgives our sin because he is God the loves, there is no other like him. He had the persistence to die on the cross and the strength to defeat death. When I know this about my king it makes it a joy for me to tell others about this story.

On day four we invited the children to "Believe the King!" Jesus died and rose again for us. He never sinned, but willingly gave His life on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Today I invite you to fully believe in your king who has rescued you from the penalty of your sin.

Thomas wasn't in the upper room when Jesus appeared to the other disciples. He didn't believe the other disciples that Jesus was risen from the dead. Jesus appeared to the disciples a week later with Thomas this time present. Jesus showed Thomas his hands and side and invited him to believe the good news of his victory over death.

You are all unique, made by the Lord God. The prophet Isaiah promised fear not for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. You are not alone. Not everyone shows their faith in Jesus the same way. Each one of you are given different gifts, different abilities to be used. The stripe the zebra was an excellent animal to illustrate that each and every one of us no matter how different we are redeemed by the love of our savior.

The final day was a day of winding down and finishing the crafts that still needed to get done. But not so much on finishing was the theme focused but more towards the going out into the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus ascended to heaven he commissioned his followers to go out and be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the very ends of the world.

The king of the jungle is the lion. The power and majesty of the lion is a magnificent site to witness. Anyone that has seen the lion in his majesty will go home and share this with others. I hope that when people hear the good news of salvation that is ours through Jesus Christ that they will also love to tell this story. The final day was "Share the King" and I pray you have faith in Jesus who is sending you out into the world.

Jesus sends us to our family, friends, neighbors, to the world to tell about Him. He wants everyone to know His love! You can be brave because your savior has promised to leave you. You are never alone.

Soli Deo Gloria

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