Dear Fellow Children of God,
This past week St. John has offered Vacation Bible School
to the children of St. John and the Palmer community. The theme for VBS was “Hometown Nazareth-
Where Jesus was a Kid.” What a blessing
to see children growing in their knowledge and understanding of Jesus! What a blessing to see children singing and
dancing to songs of faith! What a
blessing to see young children hug each other with joy as they arrive each day,
and to see them hug as they say good-bye at the end of each session!
As a parent and grandparent I have a personal interest in
our Vacation Bible School. I had a
daughter helping, and 5 grandchildren attending. Mary helped to lead the Preschool
children. The preschool group was full
with 25 in attendance, and others were wishing they could have attended. Josh and Erin’s oldest three children, Jake,
Emma, and Henry attended classes for their age level. Andy and Justine’s children, Jackson and Kendall,
made the trip from Peters’ Creek each day to attend.
And, this year I had a VBS experience that was both
humorous and heartwarming to me. On
Wednesday I got a text from Andy saying that Jackson had an ear-ache. The only doctor’s appointment they were able
to schedule was during VBS, so Jackson and Kendall wouldn’t be attending that
day. I responded, hoping that Jackson
would feel better and I hoped to see him on Thursday.
But, to my surprise, as I was teaching I turned around
and there were Justine and Jackson and Kendall.
Justine told me Jackson said he was feeling better. Kendall, who is four, told me about her
brother, “He cried because he couldn’t go to VBS.”
I don’t like to see my grandson cry, but Kendall’s words
bring joy to my heart! I believe that
the greatest gift that parents and grandparents can give their children and
grandchildren is the grace and love and life of Jesus. Take a moment sometime and read Matthew
18:1-14 and listen to all the ways that Jesus talks about His love for
children. Jesus calls others to the
faith of children. (Matthew 18:3-4) He
warns against leading children astray.
(Matthew 18:6) Jesus shares the
special attention of angels with which God cares for children. (Matthew 18:10) Then, in the parable of the lost lamb, Jesus
shares how God loves each child and wants none to be lost. (Matthew 18:12-14)
A
number of years ago at a sharing session in a Church Workers Conference Kathy
shared with those present her favorite Bible verse. 3 John 4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear
that my children are walking in the truth.” It is a JOY when our children and
grand-children know Jesus, who is “the
way, the truth, and the life.”
On Tuesday night Jackson and Kendall stayed with us for
the evening and went with Kathy and me to a wedding reception. On the way to the party I heard Kendall
singing. She was singing VBS songs about
Jesus.
As a parent and grandparent who is a Christian I know
that the greatest gift in my life is the love of my Savior Jesus. I want my children and grandchildren to have
this gift too.
A Child of
God, Thankful for Jesus’ love for Children,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are
pictures of the baptism of Hudson Eric Luthi in early service last Sunday, July
5. https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/BaptismsWinterSpring2015#6169975386822558626
P.P.S. THANK YOU 2015 St. John VBS teachers
and helpers! Thank you, DCE Jamie, and
St. John Board of Education. What a
blessing to offer Jesus to the children of Palmer so that they grow as Jesus’ little
lambs and sing about Him as they travel!
There is nothing more valuable than Jesus in the heart of one of His
children. Here are some Vacation Bible
School pictures from this week. https://picasaweb.google.com/114993745799525883148/2015StJohnVacationBibleSchool
P.P.P.S. The St.
John Facebook page has 5 videos posted, one for each day of VBS.
Go here to see the videos. https://www.facebook.com/stjohnpalmer Did you know there is information about St.
John on our Facebook page AND on our webpage?!
http://stjohnpalmer.org/main_pages/links.htm
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ABOUT
‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages,
hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I
have. (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you
are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t
want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your
name off my list for this message. . .
****
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