“Anyone who believes in Me will pass from death into everlasting life." ~ John 5:24
They hated to see it end. Tonight, they gathered for the final
campfire, ending an amazing week. It had
been so much more than just camping, it’d been an adventure: a time to explore,
grow, and be challenged.
Sure, there was extensive exposure to God’s Word, but it’d
also been an opportunity for the campers to observe and learn from godly
mentors (counselors, staff, and speakers) absent TVs, cell phones, video games,
and other distractions that tend to keep young people from focusing on life’s
deeper questions.
They’d also made great friendships. Between the songs and jokes, between the
smiles and stories, their bonds became a kind of palpable ever-glow.
Two things must absolutely be present while huddled around a
campfire: Smores and scary campfire stories. Pastor Jacob’s dramatic voice began.
“I heard this happened out west not long ago.
A group of worried ranchers offered a $5,000 bounty for
captured wolves.
Two friends, Chad and Lincoln, decided to seek their
fortune. Day and night they scoured forests
and mountains for valuable prey. Exhausted
from hunting with no luck, they fell asleep dreaming of their fortune.
Suddenly, Lincoln woke up a bit startled and saw they
were surrounded by a huge pack of hungry wolves with searing black eyes, bared
teeth, and wariness for their kind. Low
growls rumbled from their throats. He slowly reached over and nudged his friend,
"Chad, wake up!"
"I think we're rich!"
After the laughter died, Pastor Jacob finished the story by
saying, “A good positive attitude can truly change the way you approach
life, and your future.”
“We all love a good story,” he continued. “Especially one with a surprise ending.
But the BEST story ever conceived, written, or acted out
in real life has no end. The one story
you need to hear, understand, and grip with all your heart is hopeful, inspiring,
and transforming. It offers two things
that no other story does.
First – it offers you a place in the story – a
place that was planned for you long before the story was written. Secondly, it also offers something hard for us
to wrap our brains around. It offers
life that never ends.
The main character of God’s story came to earth, defeated
sin and death, and because He did, offers you the one thing that no other
character in any other story can – real life now and eternal life to come. Shall we pray together:
Dear Lord, despite anything we’ve attained,
earned or deserved as your children, You welcome us into the greatest story
ever by grace alone. We’re grateful that
this story that is our story has an end that never ends. Amen
