By Katy Mariotti

Witness

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”
Matthew 28:18-20 English Standard Version

I love Vacation Bible School. Our church really goes all out and we have around 300 kids participate, as well as over 100 volunteers. I have volunteered for many years, and now it’s a staple of my summer. I run one of the preschool rooms. My own kids come with me a week ahead of time to get the room set up, and we all get excited.

So what’s so great about it? I have to be honest, we’re in the middle of VBS right now, and I am EXHAUSTED. But I think what I love is all the subtle ways that witnessing is happening. Not only is the story of Jesus repeated over and over, but so many other ways of sharing God’s love are all around. It’s in the way everyone dances and sings along to the music. It’s in the way the teenagers care for the little ones. It’s in the way we show how much joy can be found in loving Jesus by playing and doing crafts.

It’s not just for kids either. One year when I was volunteering I was dealing with anxiety. One of the skits had a woman carrying a box of heavy worries, and she kept trying to do things but she couldn’t because the box got in the way. During the skit she was advised that she could put the box down. I almost started crying! I was ready to put down my heavy box too.

And just today in my room, the kids made a glorious mess, pretending that Styrofoam peanuts were snow. They had a blast! However, I didn’t realize quite how much the peanuts would crumble into tiny pieces and cover the floor. Without being asked, another volunteer stayed and helped me clean it all up (in fact she cleaned up most of it!) She didn’t leave until the room was nearly back to normal. I was so grateful, and that act of service really showed God’s love to me.

Witnessing is telling about Jesus, but there’s more to it too. As in the Great Commission in the Matthew passage, I hope we can not only make disciples of all nations, but also show them how God wants us to live, and remember that He is always with us!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado