"Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you. He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat." (Psalm 147:12-14). As I read this Psalm this morning, I noticed that the verse in which God "blesses our children" is followed immediately by the promise that "he grants peace." It seems that God's peace is one part of the blessing he wants to bestow on our children. In a world where children are too familiar with family brokenness, school shootings, abuse, or other evils that oppose God's peace, we need this blessing now as much as ever. That's why I'm thankful that God's peace is the theme of the Vacation Bible School which our church is offering next week in partnership with the Berthoud United Methodist Church.
The curriculum for our VBS this year (generously provided by Highlands Presbyterian Camp) is called "Peace Works." Each day, the children involved will hear about how peace is understood in a different cultures around the world. These pictures of peace will be paired with Scripture passages about themes like hospitality (Luke 14:15-24), community (1 Corinthians 12), forgiveness and reconciliation (Genesis 27), and the unconditional and sacrificial love of Jesus (John 13 and Mark 12:28-31).
There's still time to register your children, or to volunteer to help out with VBS. If you can't participate directly, please join me in praying for God to bless our children by granting them peace. May the seeds planted through this VBS both draw children closer to Jesus and bring us all closer to a world that embodies God's peace.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Chris
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