Campfire & Bible

On the church’s 27 acres, there is a portion that’s wild. The entrance (by road) of the church property, from the stoplight right off the freeway, you’d be greeted by a very green accessible playground, a large asian pear tree that is beautiful when flowering in the spring, the church building with its tall white pointed steeple and angled roofs, and the green parsonage we live in. On campfire nights, that’s where we start—near home, at the fenced-in park where the green turf protects from the falls of risky play. But at 6:30pm sharp (and sometimes graciously after for those who are new and wouldn't know the way) the group of invitees ventures down the road from the park, the house and church building, on past the goat barn, the other parsonages and scattered farm implements, and into the back field, where this time a path has been cut through the weeds that grow higher than the height of a pre-teen child.

Before entering the back field, though, we get to know each other. A name game and a question to ponder during the walk helps prepare for the activity and the time we’ll spend around the campfire together.

One night, the Bible study was on direction and knowing how to get to where we want to go. We had our new member, who had never been to the back woods yet, attempt to find his way to the entrance with only verbal directions (this was before the path was cut through the tall weeds). He did--the directions were effective, as was his navigation. As the group waited at the edge of the field before the small opening into the shaded forest, it was explained that the only way we know where to get anywhere is because somebody knows the way and helps us to get there. Later, our Bible study time easily led into how, with the Bible, we know that following Jesus is the way to heaven.

On another night, I pulled up a large weed as we walked and brought it to the entrance of the forest, letting the kids know that, like this weed, there are some plants that people may think are harmless or even edible due to how closely they resemble the edible plant, but are actually deadly, and we need to know the difference between what will grow us and what will kill us (introducing the one-of-two rules, the ‘ask first’ rule). This led into a Bible study about Galatians 6:7-8, where we reap what we sow. During the scripture reading, the 3 times we read ‘God cannot be mocked,’ the sky thundered.

This evening, however, I had set up a surprise in the clearing inside the forest just across the bridge—a slack line with a blue tarp beneath it. Our question prompt to ponder through the field was ‘what are some of the biggest choices we make in life?' One of the group shared they had decided their career path. Another shared of the time when they decided to choose a room with their sibling rather than their own. And one shared about their decision to become a Christian. Perfect—that answer led right into the activity—and after quickly going over the two rules for our new group member, we ducked under the oak leaves and into the shaded fern-covered wild where surprise awaited.

“What is this?!” As the team approached the clearing, the large blue tarp fenced off by sticks needed a suitable ‘story frame’ to ignite imagination and motivation for the challenge ahead. What the group was looking at was, in fact, a 25’ span of blue tow webbing attached to two large trees. But in Stickland (the name given to the clearing) this span was a narrow bridge across an ocean surging with invisible sharks that, upon falling in, one would be ravenously consumed. The challenge? To get the team across to the campfire area. That was enough to inspire some problem solving, and eventually some valiant attempts across, but sadly balancing across on their own proved fatal. No one would make it across without help, and as a team, no one thought to help each other by interlocking hands for stability. If the team couldn’t all get across, they’d lose their chance to enjoy marshmallows at the campfire, and with the sad reality that more and more team members were being lost at sea, I introduced the lesson.

“What is something that everybody in this life will have to face?” I asked, adding in, "unless Jesus returns first?"

After a few moments of thought, someone offered the correct answer—"Death."

“Yes. We will all eventually die. Like this slack line, everybody will need to make a choice on how we’re going to cross over. Some ignore its existence until they’re forced to cross, and they might try on their own thinking they can make it if they try hard enough—“ at this point I got on and did my best to cross, but fall dramatically into the shark-infested waters—“Only someone who is perfect can make it across.”

“The good news is that Jesus went before us. Being born of God and perfect, or sinless, He crossed over ahead of us and made a way.” At this, I go to the far tree and grab the ‘support line,’ a smaller piece of webbing strapped higher up and stretch it back across, securing it to the other tree on the entrance side. “And anyone who wants can choose to ‘grab ahold’ to help them across.”

Immediately the kids jump up with smiles grabbing the line, now enjoying the balancing act with something to hold onto.

“The choice to grab the support line is like the choice to trust Jesus—we can’t make it to heaven on our own. Some people aren’t even aware that the help is there, which is especially sad.” I then explain how to make this choice in real life: That by coming to God in prayer, we can 'grab hold' of this help by believing that Jesus went before us, died for our sins, rose, and has now 'made a way' to eternal life through trusting and holding on to Him, and in doing this, we can make it across safely.

As the group now easily traversed the imaginary shark-infested waters, the group had free time to spend before the campfire. Each group of 2 or more (the second-of-two rules, buddy system always) chose to spend it in a variety of ways: exploring, getting water from the creek, talking, hanging out in the 5 or 6 hammocks, or reading some ‘choose your own adventure’ books per the theme of the night.

Once the fire was started by those who gathered kindling, we reviewed the choice of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-31. Uniquely in Mark, it was noted that Jesus looked at the man lovingly and gave him a hard choice that was seemingly rejected. But again, uniquely in Mark, we hear of a mysterious tunic-clad man following Jesus as he was detained by the mob, who also attempted to detain him but, losing his tunic fled with absolutely nothing, noting that if those two individuals were the same person, there's something about Jesus that makes hard choices worth it.

We prayed, and enjoyed the s’more and other roastable items laid out on the wood bench. As always, it seems, the two hours goes by too quickly. The fire is doused, the food packed up, and the trek is made back across the bridge, out of the forest, through the back field path and back to the safety and familiarity of the fenced in playground, where parents meet their children playing basketball into the twilight.