Thursday Night at VBS

It was Thursday night at VBS. Anyone familiar with VBS programs knows that’s a big night. It’s the night of the special time, the quiet moment, the invitation time. This year it was handled in great fashion by Della (the lady with the neon hair). It’s tough to pull off an altar call and get kids to all of a sudden take you seriously when your hair can be seen all the way in Abbeville. Nonetheless, it was a great success. At the proper time many little hands went up. Many precious prayers were spoken while almost all eyes were closed. Alright, I know it was supposed to be every eye closed. I was in the back row. It was hard to miss. So sue me. I consider myself the press and inquiring minds want to know.

Lots of thoughts come to mind at a time like this. Special. Precious. Moving. Worth all the hassle. Thank God tomorrow’s Friday. Other thoughts creep in. Young. Don’t really understand. Following the crowd. I already had some thoughts over the last few weeks. Repentance. Conversion. Justification. Sanctification. Assurance. Cheap grace. Words from scripture come to mind. Love. The whole world. Whosoever. Will be saved. I never knew you. Confirming, comforting and often confusing words.

There is no doubt that some who raised their little hands last night will have, by the time this is written, forgotten the whole thing. Others couldn’t tell you why they raised their hands or what it meant. On the other hand, I  have to believe that years from now some will remember Thursday Night at VBS as the time they came to know Jesus. They will remember it as the beginning of a wonderful life in Christ. It’s a night they will never forget.

Lots of hands get raised at Crusades, on Sunday mornings, and on Thursday Nights at VBS. You can count them and put them in a book. You don’t really know what they mean. They can mean nothing or they could mean everything. It’s challenging enough to know where we stand with Christ. It’s not our function to try to decide where anyone else is. It’s our job to wear funny wigs, do funny dances, tell our stories and follow Our Lord. It’s up to Him to do the rest. That’s a very good thing. I trust Him to sort it all out.