Can VBS Sunday Mesh with a Day of Mourning?

Our bishop of the ELCA sent out materials for worship and has called for this Sunday to be one where we address what happened in Charleston last week, a day of repentance and mourning.

My first thought:  Well we won't be doing that.  We have a special worship designed around Vacation Bible School.

I confess that I didn't read or download the materials.  I moved on to thinking about other things, like how to get my classes staffed for the Summer quarter which starts in 2 weeks.

My pastor, on the other hand, has come up with an approach that can combine the Bishop's materials with our VBS liturgy that's already written.  And it makes sense.  After all, we've spent the week talking about God as a God of comfort and healing and forgiveness and how we should follow God's lead.

I said to my pastor, "If anyone can do it, you can."

He said, "If anyone can do it, the Holy Spirit can."

I looked around our fellowship hall.  I'm guessing that we have one of the most racially diverse VBS groups in the nation.  Most of our Sunday worship services are similarly diverse, although we don't have many people from Asia in our congregation.  In our larger community, we are only just beginning to get Asian immigrants in large numbers, so I don't worry too much about that.

I look forward to seeing how my pastor with the help of the Holy Spirit pulls everything together.  It will be an even more meaningful Sunday than usual.