Who Is Jesus?

That question has been bouncing around in my brain for 2 months now as I prepare for our Vacation Bible School program for our Children’s Circle Summer Camp at St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

We are resurrecting a Vacation Bible School program from 1999.  The troubled economy is hitting all aspects of the Church.  Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the ELCA, is cutting all sorts of programming, including the creation of new VBS material, so we’re recycling.   The kids loved it in 1999 and I’m sure they are going to love it again, now.  Of course we’ve made some adaptations as much of the “learner materials” are no longer available, but at least it will cost us less.   

PLUS, what’s an archaeological dig if you don’t find some dinosaurs, right?  (That’s certainly not part of the program, but it’s amazing what a little creativity can bridge together.)  We’ll  just dig a few layers deeper at each site and see what we find.

The Bible stories, and the question which they answer, are timeless and unfettered by any economic woes.  They answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”   THAT’s something we all want to know, right?

The challenge of Vacation Bible School is to make the Bible stories fun.  This Vacation Bible School program is themed around an archaeological dig.  We’re going to go digging in the Bible to find the answers to the question “Who is Jesus?”

We’ll start our archaeological dig at a site where three kings gazed at star maps and found a servant king unlike any before Him, a GIFT from God Himself.

Next we move to an archaeological site near Bethany were we find relics that point to the FRIENDship that Jesus shared with Mary and Martha.

After that dig, we move to a site where we discover ancient scrolls that TEACHERs in the temples and synagogues might have used.

We move on to an archaeological dig where we find the clues that point to a blind beggar and the HELP that he received from Jesus.

And lastly, we visit an archaeological dig site that uncovers a rocky road toward Emmaus, site of the SAVIOR’s appearance to two disciples.

So if Jesus is a GIFT, FRIEND, TEACHER, HELPER, and SAVIOR, what do Tyrannosaurus Rex, Mapusaurus,  Pteradactylus, Maiasaura, and Oviraptor have to do with Jesus?    You’ll have to check back here during VBS and keep reading to find out.

If you know a child up to age 10 in need of a Summer Camp experience, why not investigate Children’s Circle Summer Camp?  You can send that child to camp for one week or several.  The week of our VBS program is July 18-22.  

RRRROARRRR!   We’re going on a dig!  Don’t forget your canteen!  Call the Children’s Circle director at (973) 884-3652 for information, rates and to visit the Center.