we’re not doing a new year’s eve youth service – this way i get to spend some time with my family and personally i hate lock-ins with a passion. because of this i am using the service at the view tomorrow night to get our kids and adults focused on the new year. we are going to do a “redo” service based on the story of samson.
i love samson. he is such a major screw up. he had everything going for him. he was incredibly strong, apparently nice looking, and most importantly called by GOD. yet samson got all egotistical and screwed it all up. he messed up bad and it appeared that GOD would drop him. nobody would have blamed GOD for dropping samson. i mean samson did everything wrong and selfish. samson wasted the amazing gifts that GOD has given him.
i can relate to that. “wasted” is the word that i often feel like describes my life. i’m not incrediblly strong, nor am i very good looking, and truthfully i’m often not so sure that i have been called by GOD. the little bit i have i usually waste on myself instead of using to accomplish something for the greater good. most times i don’t bring GOd glory. in fact, most times i’m too busy focusing on myself to really care if GOD gets any glory at all. i wouldn’t blame GOD if he dropped me.
yet, GOD did not leave samson. when samson asked GOD for HIS help GOD was there. if you read the text you’ll find that samson didn’t even ask in a good fashion. samson didn’t ask for GOD’s glory, or say he was a worm or anything like that. nope! samson just asked for GOD’s help, admitting that he needed GOD’s help, and GOD gave it.
the LORD gave samson a “redo”. right then and there between 2 colmuns GOD forgot about samson’s past and used him. if GOD would give a screw up like samson a “redo” then HE’ll give me “redos” also. i think allot of my teens need that message. i know i do.
so tomorrow night we’re going to set up a coupe of columns and a paper shredder. i’m going to give each kid a card and then tell them the story of samson. after i’m through i’m going to tell them that if they have failed GOD during the past year and that failure still haunts them then this is the time to get rid of their past. paper shredders destroy what we don’t want others to see or what we wish had never existed. during worship our teens will be invited to write down their failures, ask GOD to forgive them, and then put their failures into the paper shredder.
“poof.” they’re gone. it’s a redo.