Vacation Bible School as a "Spiritual High?"

What is it about VBS that just draws many people in the church in? Why is this one week of the year one of the most exciting weeks for all age groups? Why do so many kids flock to this event more than any other event all year long?

Well one reason may be that it is a way for their parents to get rid of them for a week. But I do not think that that is the main reason. I believe that a lot of it has to do with the atmosphere of Vacation Bible School. First off, it is summer break, and the kids are always excited to be out of school. But more than that, churches always have fun with this activity. Through the morning worship to the extreme decorations, the whole atmosphere is exciting and inviting. It is a great way to draw kids into the church.

Anytime you have something fun at church, that is also kid-friendly, they will come running. And that is what VBS accomplishes. But why have this one week of excitement and then have 51 weeks of the same ol' schedule? Sadly, many churches fall into the trap of "spiritual highs." Now I am not trying to speak badly of any churches use of VBS because I believe that it is a very important week, and I know that many kids come to know Christ through this activity. That is awesome! I pray that many kids will come to know Him this summer as well. And it is also a great way to get kids involved in church, which is needed today. But the problem that arises is that many times we all find those moments of "spiritual highs" and yet we fall away soon after.

For instance, I experienced this growing up in church. Not only did this happen with VBS, but also with camps and retreats. Those times were some of the best times of my life, but the hardest part was going home. The sad truth is that we cannot live camp life at home because we have other responsibilities once we return. But we should still integrate those spiritual aspects of our camp life into our real life. Although it is no longer camp, we still have a responsibility to grow in and serve God.

Now for adults. When we hear powerful sermons or messages, we too should learn to apply those truths to our everyday life. For adults, it is not as much of a camp experience as it is a Sunday routine. We go to church on Sunday but forget everything we were told somewhere between Sunday night and Monday morning. This happens all of the time, and we have all done it. So realize that it is not just the VBS kids or the youth group campers that experience "spiritual highs." It is also us adults who attend church regularly.

But what you are probably wondering now is how do we overcome this problem? What are some steps that we can take to live out our faith in life? Well that is what I will get to next time. I've been working on my Kids Kamp sermons and the second one ties into this idea. I have entitled it "Living in the Light." Over the next few days we will look at 1 John 2 and see how we can live for God everyday of the week and not just on Sunday.

Matt