Oh...one more reason Resurrection Sunday is a big deal.
For just about every church in the world, it is the highest attended Sunday of the entire year.
This crowd can be
...exciting (look at all these people!)
...frustrating (where are all these people every other Sunday!)
...inconvenient (are those people sitting in my seat?!)
There are three reasons for increased attendance on Easter Sunday --
1. Synchronized Attendance
Not everyone in any church comes to church every single week. People show up most Sundays, but attendance is staggered a bit as other things come up. But for this week, all of our "staggerers" (those who stagger their attendance) show up on the same Sunday.
Because of this, a church can have a strong Resurrection Sunday attendance...without actually reaching any new people.
2. Special Attendance
Some of us need a nudge. A reason to do something we have been meaning to do for a while. That is the reason the gym is packed on January 2. The calendar nudged them.
The same is true for church. We need a little something extra to get us in the door. Maybe it is the holiday. Maybe it is an invitation from a friend. Maybe it is a hearty continental breakfast. Maybe it is a postcard in the mail.
A Sunday like Resurrection Sunday can be what is needed to break the spiritual inertia.
3. Sacred Attendance
This is the one that excites me the most, by far.
Some folks will be here Sunday because God is at work in their lives!
When I ask people their spiritual story, often it involves God using a Resurrection Sunday to do something new in their lives. It may not all happen on that day...but without that day their lives would be in a completely different place.
Dear church, just know that this Sunday we will have folks in each of these groups with us in worship. They won't wear labels, so we may never know who is who.
But it is just another way that Resurrection Sunday is a really big deal!
See you Sunday!
Pastor Tim
PS -- And if you want to fully experience the excitement of Resurrection Sunday, be sure to be part of our Good Friday service on April 18 as we pause to feel the weight of Jesus' death and sacrifice.
sus' death and sacrifice.
