I grew up in Northern Ireland in a loving family that did not attend church. There is nothing unique about that, except where I grew up—Northern Ireland—was very church-going at the time. Most people I knew went to church. In contrast, I imagine that most Christians today live in towns and cities where my family would be the norm. Most people, even people who might nominally identify as Christians, are not found in Church except at certain times of the year—like Easter! What I want to do in this article is help us think about how we, as churches—and how pastors, in particular—can show hospitality to people visiting churches this Easter season.
Three very simple points:
Visitors come to churches all year round, but recognizing this as a particular time (like Christmas) when people visit can help us welcome them. This is a time to be intentional. Perhaps for the Easter weekend, you could dedicate a welcoming team whose job is to keep an eye out for newcomers. However, it is also important to encourage regular congregation members to be intentionally welcoming to newcomers. Many people will go to lunch afterward with family, but having extra coffee and pastries before or after the service could add to the welcome.
This is true of every Sunday service and every Sunday sermon, but on a Sunday when you have so many visitors, the opportunity to direct them to the very heart of faith—the Lord Jesus Christ—is so important. Some may come to our churches with trepidation. The impulse to attend church on a religious holiday may be balanced by resistance to what they might hear. True of any Sunday, Easter day is the time to ensure we present what is central to the faith.
One service I went to on Easter day had a sermon on gluttony, warning people of the excesses of Easter family celebrations! This is a day to focus on the very center of our faith – Jesus crucified and risen. If it is a Good Friday service, you will want to focus on the former; if it is Easter day, the latter. But in both cases, you will want to focus on our hope in Christ—the hope of sins paid for by Jesus’ death and hope of his death-defeating resurrection. The one thing our world is in short supply of is hope. Just turn on the TV or go on your favorite news feed for 5 minutes, and you will see sad evidence for that. As Christians, we have hope, not just for this life, but for the one to come (1 Cor. 15:19). Boldly hold out the hope of the cross and resurrection and pray that the Lord might graciously open blind eyes and soften hard hearts. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone visiting your church this Easter came to understand the message of the cross and put their faith in the risen Christ?
As much as we want to be mindful of visitors, Easter is an excellent time to be hospitable to our people. People come every Sunday with many cares and burdens, but Easter is a time, in particular, to remind them of the hope they have in Christ. Our hope is not the hope of our world (“I hope my team wins the Super Bowl”; “I hope my test results come back negative”). No, our hope in Christ is a sure and certain hope.
Easter is a busy time for a pastor. It is vital to ensure that you get time to rest after this season. You don’t want to hold out hope and rest to others and not experience it yourself. Charles Spurgeon used to use the illustration of a waiter serving diners but not partaking of the food himself. May that not be true of you this Easter!
The angel announced, “He is not here, for he has risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:6). Hebrews reminds us that Jesus became a man and died so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” We have a message of hope – may it resound from our churches this Easter! May it motivate us to welcome the newcomer, proclaim the Lord Jesus, his death and resurrection, care for the flock, and strengthen ourselves in him!
Related:
8 Daily Devotionals from Palm Sunday to Easter
Preaching the Resurrection on Easter
Ten Ways a Pastor Can Prepare for Easter
The post Three Easter Hospitality Tips for Pastors appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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Three very simple points:
1. Remember visitors
Visitors come to churches all year round, but recognizing this as a particular time (like Christmas) when people visit can help us welcome them. This is a time to be intentional. Perhaps for the Easter weekend, you could dedicate a welcoming team whose job is to keep an eye out for newcomers. However, it is also important to encourage regular congregation members to be intentionally welcoming to newcomers. Many people will go to lunch afterward with family, but having extra coffee and pastries before or after the service could add to the welcome.
2. Remember Christ, the Cross, and the Resurrection
This is true of every Sunday service and every Sunday sermon, but on a Sunday when you have so many visitors, the opportunity to direct them to the very heart of faith—the Lord Jesus Christ—is so important. Some may come to our churches with trepidation. The impulse to attend church on a religious holiday may be balanced by resistance to what they might hear. True of any Sunday, Easter day is the time to ensure we present what is central to the faith.
One service I went to on Easter day had a sermon on gluttony, warning people of the excesses of Easter family celebrations! This is a day to focus on the very center of our faith – Jesus crucified and risen. If it is a Good Friday service, you will want to focus on the former; if it is Easter day, the latter. But in both cases, you will want to focus on our hope in Christ—the hope of sins paid for by Jesus’ death and hope of his death-defeating resurrection. The one thing our world is in short supply of is hope. Just turn on the TV or go on your favorite news feed for 5 minutes, and you will see sad evidence for that. As Christians, we have hope, not just for this life, but for the one to come (1 Cor. 15:19). Boldly hold out the hope of the cross and resurrection and pray that the Lord might graciously open blind eyes and soften hard hearts. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if someone visiting your church this Easter came to understand the message of the cross and put their faith in the risen Christ?
3. Remember your people
As much as we want to be mindful of visitors, Easter is an excellent time to be hospitable to our people. People come every Sunday with many cares and burdens, but Easter is a time, in particular, to remind them of the hope they have in Christ. Our hope is not the hope of our world (“I hope my team wins the Super Bowl”; “I hope my test results come back negative”). No, our hope in Christ is a sure and certain hope.
Finally, remember to rest
Easter is a busy time for a pastor. It is vital to ensure that you get time to rest after this season. You don’t want to hold out hope and rest to others and not experience it yourself. Charles Spurgeon used to use the illustration of a waiter serving diners but not partaking of the food himself. May that not be true of you this Easter!
The angel announced, “He is not here, for he has risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:6). Hebrews reminds us that Jesus became a man and died so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” We have a message of hope – may it resound from our churches this Easter! May it motivate us to welcome the newcomer, proclaim the Lord Jesus, his death and resurrection, care for the flock, and strengthen ourselves in him!
Related:
8 Daily Devotionals from Palm Sunday to Easter
Preaching the Resurrection on Easter
Ten Ways a Pastor Can Prepare for Easter
The post Three Easter Hospitality Tips for Pastors appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...