Summer is coming, which means VBS is coming. I can’t wait. For those not familiar, VBS stands for Vacation Bible School.

I’ve gone to VBS all of my life — first as a kid, then as a youth minister, and now as a pastor. I love this time of sharing the Bible, crafts, exciting music and lots of funs with the kids. I especially enjoy “Family Night,” when the parents come and see and hear what their children have been learning.

However, there’s one Family Night that I think my mother would rather forget.

She was a leader with VBS at the post chapel on the U.S. Army base where my Dad was the chaplain. One class was scheduled to sing “Joy to the World” to the parents. Sounds good, right? The only problem was, that it wasn’t the lyrics you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” Instead, they sang that stanza by the rock group Three Dog Night:

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog
A mighty good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him drink his wine.
Singing, joy to the world
All the boys and girls now.
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
And joy to you and me.”

I guess the teacher thought the song was a good choice, since it mentioned Jeremiah. Jeremiah is in the Bible, right?

It just goes to show that just because you’re using religious words doesn’t mean you’re saying the right thing.

King Ahaziah found that out. According to 2 Kings 1:1-4, King Ahaziah fell through a window and injured himself, so he sent messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, if he would recover. The Lord told Elijah the prophet to intercept the messengers and say, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?...you will certainly die.” And Ahaziah did.

Pardon the pun, but if you don’t want to croak, don’t sing to Jeremiah the Bullfrog. Instead, read Jeremiah the prophet and the rest of the Bible. It will point you to the one true God. Pray to Him.

Copyright 2008 by Bob Rogers. www.holyhumor.blogspot.com