Those of us that have been in church for a number of years, we know what to expect for the Easter service. You know the cross will be front and center, you know generally what the sermon will be on, and you know that visitors will come. So how are can you make sure that you make the most for the Kingdom of God this Easter? Here are a few tips:
- People are willing to come to church on Easter... take advantage of it! I have not pinpointed the reason why so many people come to church on Christmas and Easter, but I'm thankful they do and in my opinion they pick the two best days to come! Whatever it is that brings them, we know that people feel the need to attend church on this day. We need to all be taking great measures to make sure every friend or acquaintance we have is invited to hear the message of Jesus' death and resurrection. The clerk at the grocery store and the waiter at the restaurant may not come to church with you, but at least make sure they know they are invited.
- Be intentional about showing your visitors you care for them. If you are able, park in the back of the parking lot so visitors can have the good spots. If you invited someone, meet them out front so you can walk them in the building. Give up your normal seat to make sure you find someone new and introduce yourself. Do everything you can in order to possibly have a chance to build a relationship and minister to the visitor.
- Don't let familiarity ruin your worship. You have probably heard more Easter sermons than you can count, but frankly there are some things that we should never get tired of hearing. The Good News tops that list. Make sure you don't just go through the motions and think through Easter egg hunts and time with family. We all need to spend constant time in worship meditating on what Jesus did for us. As you spend time remembering, your heart should be full of hope and love because of what God did for us.
- Pray. Pray that multitudes of people that enter the doors of the church would not just do it out of tradition or to be with their families, but that they would be convicted of their sins and surrender their life to Christ. Prayer is powerful, so ask God to bring salvation to those who do not know Him.