Parents, Something is lost and must be found? When I went to youth camp for the first time, my parents gave me some spending money for snacks and miscellaneous activities. It wasn't a lot, but to a young tweenager it was more than enough for a week. We climbed on the church bus and drove to Panama City Beach laughing, singing and other youth group things. When we arrived we were divided into boys and girls cabins and the cabins were divided into other rooms of 6 to 8 people. In order to keep the smallish rooms livable, the leaders had made a competition for the cleanest room. At the end of assembly of Worship and Bible Study each night the leaders would announce the winning room. Our room never won that competition for some reason, but we sure enjoyed our time together as God’s kids at camp. By the third night or so, it was obvious we would never win that award, so we thought we would have some fun with those who came to inspect the rooms while we went to the assembly. We had filled a small trash can full of water and put it over the door and we all exited out the other door. We could hardly contain ourselves when one of the leaders, who happened to be one of the Moms of one of the guys in our room came to assembly soaked from head to toe. She was smiling, but just barely. Our room had extra clean up duty the remainder of the camp. I’m thankful for the loving adults who made sure we stayed safe, had fun, and learned how to live like God’s children. On that same trip that my parents had given me an adequate amount of spending money, the first day I reached into my wallet to buy a snack, it was empty… I was distraught. I was pretty sure I had grabbed it when I left the house, but it was not in my wallet, not in my suitcase, my sister didn’t have it… a generous friend said you can borrow some of mine. I fretted and sulked the rest of the day trying to have some fun on the beach and at the pool. Friends and Adult leaders tried to console me and assured me that I could borrow whatever I needed. That night at the Worship Assembly, I grabbed my new Bible that my parents had given me just before the trip. As we sat down after singing and started our Bible study, the Camp Pastor said those exciting, comforting, and powerful words…”Please turn in your Bible...” (to the Bible passage he was preaching from). And then, as I opened my new Bible, the money I had been looking for fell out… A joy and relief came over me as I celebrated God’s goodness and His provision. I could pay back the money I had borrowed. My fretting ended and I could listen to the message that God was giving to us through His Word, His Spirit, and one of His preachers.
The longest Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 119, which has been used in Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant worship for millennia, has a verse that says, “I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162 (NKJV) As a young tween, I had found the treasure of the money my parents sent me for camp, but I was also discovering the even greater treasure of God’s Word and the fun and fellowship and connection It fosters with God’s people. I have wonderful memories of church camp, memories that have helped shape my life and ministry. We may not always find monetary treasure in God’s Word, but we can find treasures of God’s love that are greater than all the money in the world. It seems like right now we may be losing a lot… jobs, savings, peace… but we gotta keep finding the treasures in God’s Word. We gotta be careful not to lose the blessings of His Word to us. He gives peace and joy, comfort and blessing...He reminds us of His love for us and teaches us how to enjoy the treasure of love for each other, just like those friends and leaders at youth camp who cared about me and made sure I had what I needed. If something is lost and must be found, start by seeking the treasure of God’s Holy Word.
Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!
(Not my photo, I borrowed it)
