So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ~ II Corinthians 5:17

This week at Vacation Bible School we are looking at the “I am…” statements of Jesus; “I am the bread of life.”, “I am the light of the world.”, “I am the good shepherd.”, etc.  Jesus makes these statements so we can better understand who He is.

If we think back to the story of Moses, when God calls Moses to save the Israelites for slavery in Egypt, Moses asks God, “Who shall I say sent me?” God’s response...” tell them ‘I am’ sent you.” So in Jesus “I am statements” He is reiterating the words God spoke to Moses. So for Jesus, His identity lies with God the Father. 

For most of us, depending on where we are, if someone asks about us, often we identify with our jobs, I am a doctor, an accountant, etc.; or with our family, I am Jude’s dad or Becca’s husband.  Despite what we do or our family situation, those things, no matter how good or bad they are, should not be what defines us. Paul tells us that when we accept Jesus into our lives we are a new creation, our old self is gone and everything is new, including our identity. For some of us, this is a hard concept to grasp, as we have worked hard to build our careers and our families and our hard work is what we identify with. 

As 140+ children and an additional 70+ leaders learn and teach about the “I am” statements of Jesus this week, I want to ask: Where is your identity? Is it in things of this world, like jobs, family, or success. Or is it in Godly things? If someone were to ask you who you are, how would you finish the statement… “I am”