August 2022
Another Vacation Bible School is in the books! THANK YOU to all who participated and helped!
This year’s theme was a bit unique. Our Triune God is the God of life and He seeks to share that life with us. As God creates everything perfect at the beginning of time, Adam and Eve had eternal access to the tree of life in the Garden of Eden.
Yet, because of their sin of eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they were cast out of the garden. Their access to the tree of life was closed.
But God gave a promise to Adam and Eve. He would send a Savior who would take away their sin. This Savior would open the way back to the tree of life.
The promise of the Savior was given to Abraham. Though old, God would bless Abraham with many descendants. And through Abraham’s descendants would come THE decedent – Jesus Christ.
But life on this side of heaven is often hard. Daniel, the Old Testament prophet, learned that following God is not always easy or safe. After obeying God by disobeying a man-made law, Daniel found himself in a lion’s den. (A real story with real lions and real troubles!)
Yet, the Lord protected Daniel. He sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions so Daniel was not hurt. By the grace of God, Daniel walked out of a sure-death situation!
The story of Daniel foreshadows Jesus. Jesus walked out of a situation after He was surely dead! After dying on the “tree” of the cross, Jesus rose from the dead. In this way, Jesus shuts the mouth of the roaring lion, the devil. Jesus pays the price for our sins on the “tree” of the cross which opens the way to the tree of life for us. God fulfills His promise to save us in Jesus!
And with the work of Jesus in mind, God promises to give us access to the tree of life forever through faith in Him. Revelation 22:14 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” This is to say that through faith in Jesus, our sins are washed away. Through faith in Jesus, we have the right to the tree of life. Through faith in Jesus, we will enter the gates of heaven to live forever.
So, our VBS week ended where it began – with our Triune God who desires to give us life. Life with Him forever. Life in a perfect creation that He creates. Life through the tree of life that God provides. May the Lord keep us all in the faith until that day He welcomes us home to eat of the tree of life!
Pastor Tuma