VBS Sunday “Sermon”

VBS Sunday “Sermon”
Preached Sunday, June 28, 2026

I am going to start by assuring you that I am not preaching a full sermon today. It is a short message following our mini-Sunday VBS with the kids up front.

And, I want to ask you today, who first told you about Jesus? Maybe it was a mother or father, a Sunday School teacher, a pastor, a neighbor, a friend…who first told you about Jesus and helped you know God’s love for you?

I’d invite you to take a moment and either say a name aloud or share it with the person next to you.

We thank God for those people!

And now - who continued to tell you about Jesus? Who continued to make God’s love real for you? Again, perhaps a parent, grandparent, Sunday School teacher, school teacher, neighbor, friend, aunt, uncle…

Think of those people in your life who have continually told you about Jesus - through their words and or actions. Those people that have helped you, since the time you first heard about Jesus until now, continue in a loving relationship with Jesus. Think about those people. I am sure there are many. Because studies show that the longevity of faith in children and teens as they turn into adults is directly correlated to the number of adults in their lives who are spiritual mentors.

Various studies show that 8/10 young adults leave the faith of their childhood in their 20s. Gen Z, who are currently between the ages of 14 - 29, are the least religious generation, with 34% having no religious affiliation.

Statistics like this have caused researchers to ask - what helps make faith “stick” in the life of a child and young adult? The Fuller Youth Institute, which specializes in studies about faith development for children, teens, and young adults, says that it is directly related to the number of adults invested in the life, and faith life, of the child.

If a child has 5 adults, of various ages - multiple generations, who are invested in their life and their faith development, that child is more likely to retain and continue to grow in their faith as they reach adulthood.

Often in youth ministry we ask, what is the minimum number of adults we need to run this program? Volunteers can be hard to find and we don’t want to burn people out. Of course we follow Safe Sanctuaries so we always have at least two background checked volunteers with your children and youth…and this may look something like a ratio of one adult to every five kids. But as people who are committed to following out the Great Commission, and as people who committed to help let children know that God loves them, we really need to flip that ratio around - every child needs at least five adults in their life who they can trust, who care about them, and who help share God’s love with them. Faith development in children is not just the job of parents. It is not just the job of Youth Leaders and staff. It is the job of the whole church.

Our church is invested in being people, being adults, being a community, who invest in the lives and faith of children - and one another. We make these vows when we baptize a child - to love them and to teach them about Jesus. We share God’s love through childcare and Sunday School. Through youth group and children's choir. Through VBS. Through every Sunday - through the children’s moments and just being a community who includes children. I love that on any given Sunday, there is a good chance that we have ages 0 - 90 in this congregation. And we need each other.

Children and youth need us adults to invest in their lives, to get to know them, to care about them, to teach them about Jesus.
And as adults, we need these children and youth - to teach us about Jesus, to show us God’s love and joy through their actions and words, to help us know that whenever we welcome one of them into our midst, we welcome Jesus.

So today - think about the people who invested in your life and told you about Jesus. Maybe you can think of five people, maybe even more. Give thanks to God for them.

And then I want you to think about - who are the people and who are the children and youth that you are investing in, who you care about, who you pray about, who you share God’s love with…

Thank you for sharing God’s love with every generation.

Amen.