The days are getting longer, the warmer weather is teasing us that spring is around the corner and the snow is starting to melt! Yes! Those changes also point toward a day where outside means fresh air, raking and barbecues begin.
But for church staff those changes also signal another very important event – Easter!
This past week at our staff meeting we had a discussion as to how we can use Easter to ring loud the Gospel of Christ. But recognize that people can lose their focus on Easter with more planning on family traditions than focusing on this important holiday as a great opportunity to bring Jesus to a lost world.
Do you know that Easter is one of two days a year when people, who don’t regularly attend church, will come and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with their families? It is also a time when people recommit to Jesus and make an attempt to get back to church in some way. So can I challenge you to consider how you may be used to help others reconnect with the church and reconnect with Jesus, our Savior? Here are some things that you could do:
- Pray! Ask that people in our community would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and that He would open their hearts to head back to church during this season.
- Pray with open eyes! Ask that God would open the eyes of our church family to see who they might invite to this important day. Pray that we would see the “white and ripe harvest fields” and that God may give us divine interactions with those people.
- Commit to help our Connecting & Hospitality Ministry and let us know that you would be willing to be the extra hospitality people that are needed for that day.
- Commit to coming to church to do some extra yard and house cleaning. I grew up in a home that expected the family to do extra cleaning for our special guests. We want those new guests to feel extra special when they realize we were expecting them to come.
- Be willing to commit to bring some extra treats for Easter. We are considering serving an early morning breakfast or serving extra baked goodies. Food hospitality can help new people connect with our church family.
- Talk to Sarah Schrapp about volunteering for the nursery that Sunday.
- Prepare your own hearts by reading through the Gospels. Take extra time to listen to music and extra prayer for this incredibly special day.
- Pray for the worship team and myself as we prepare and plan this day.
There has been a scripture that I have been coming back to on a weekly basis for the last two months. Look how it reads:
“Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others, too.”Philippians 2:1-4
Easter is a special time where we can care deeply about the lives of others, even others that we don’t know! How about joining us in preparing for Easter?
Happy Pre-Easter!
~Pastor Ken
Leave a Reply