The Full Extent of His Love

There is a beautiful passage of Scripture found in John 13:1-17. It is where Jesus knows that His time on earth is short. So He got up from the meal and began to prepare to wash the disciples' feet. Imbedded in these 17 verses, there are many biblical concepts that would feed you for several weeks. The issue of Judas Iscariot, who was to betray Jesus, was present and accounted for. What was going through Judas’ mind when Jesus was washing his feet? What was going through the mind of Jesus when He was washing his feet? Then there is the verse where Jesus says, “Unless I wash you, you have no part of me” John 13:8. This is showing the cleansing power of Jesus. He truly does want to cleanse us from all of our sin. There is an all or nothing element to this verse. There is so much to saturate and ponder on in these verses.

During this Vacation Bible Adventure week, I want to put our focus on the last part of this passage. 

“¹² When He had finished washing their feet, He put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ He asked them.^{13 ‘}You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them’” (John 13:12-17).

This is a clear picture of what it means to be a servant. In the last part of verse 1, it says, “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” Some translations say, “He now showed them the extent of His love.” Jesus was willing to do whatever it took to show the disciples how much He loved them. Nothing could stop Him from fully showing them His love. Then He says to go and do what I have done. He even tells us that we will be blessed if we do them.

I can’t help but get excited during Vacation Bible Adventure. It is five days of songs, crafts, Bible stories, games, and snacks. My mother reminded me that when I was a child, they used to have VBS for two full weeks. I don’t know how the workers survived. I guess that’s another story in and of itself. Don’t worry, there are some things not worth repeating, if you know what I mean. But to watch all the children come and learn more about the love of Jesus is exciting. To see parents come and bring their children who entrust us to show them the truth of God’s Word. There have been over 113 kids here each night. That is the largest attendance we have ever had. To think that with each child there is a different story. We don’t know all the things these children face. Some are new to church. Some come to church every week and know what it is to follow Jesus. I can’t help to get excited because of the impact we are making in the Kingdom of God.

The other element that excites me is the number of volunteers who are serving these children. What a privilege to serve alongside of so many people who love Jesus and love children. We have over 60 workers giving of themselves each night. They are being the feet and hands of Jesus. I don’t think we will fully know the impact we are having on these families. There are several things that we do know. We love people when we serve them. We show the love of Jesus when we serve them. We lead by serving and serve by leading. We are blessed beyond measure when we serve them. I know that it is great to be at a church that loves children and gets excited to bring them to Jesus.

This Sunday we will be gathering in the Family Life Center during the second service. In both services we will see the highlights for the week. Here is one thing that we will also do – serve. Come to church ready to serve and love these little ones. There are so many ways that everyone participates in our church. From prayer to encouragement, to teaching and chasing after the rowdy ones, there are never too many helpers. For when you love these little ones, you are loving their families. Tonight is only the 3^rd night. It is not too late to invite some new families to participate in this great week. Also, following the service on Sunday we will be enjoying a picnic and the kids will be enjoying fun-filled activities. Come, bring a dish to share, and enjoy the fellowship of the church doing what we do best – serving in the name of Jesus. There will be places to eat outside under a tent or inside the FLC. Remember to bring a friend to experience the excitement.

Joy in Jesus!

Pastor Mike

www.findlayfirstnaz.org