What Was Your Easter Service Like?
Yesterday, churches around the world held special services to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The worship service I attended was one of the most energizing I’ve ever participated in. After the sermon, the congregation read the Apostle’s Creed aloud together, then shared communion and ended the service with over 20 baptisms. Each person emerged from the baptismal water to the sound of clapping and singing, and found hands reaching out to embrace and pray for them.
It was just the sort of triumphant celebration that I imagine the early church held in recognition of Christ’s return.
We had our regular middle school services but debut a full middle school band comprised of our students. They did awesome and our high school band has been working with them for two years getting them ready. It was very rewarding.
We also, of course, talked about the meaning of Easter and gave students a chance to make what Christ did on the cross count for them. Students who needed to still ask questions were by all means given that room but for those who were ready… 27 of them took that plunge and accepted God’s gift and new life.
It was epic.
My Easter experience was like just about every other one I have been to. Great music, message of Hope, and it appears that everyone left with an overall good feeling. However, I sense that most people that went to church on Sunday experienced something that won’t result in a radical change to their life. The message (please understand that I am speaking in general terms) has gotten to watered down. To easy to accept the Free gift without enough understanding what it really means. Do we just want Heaven because Hell sounds like an awful place or do we truly hate the sin in our life? Are we willing to give up everything or just willing to accept a ‘free gift’ with no real change of heart?
This is interesting and I believe spot on…
But the story of many churches is not one of transformation. It is more of repetition or even stagnation. As leaders, we sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that the Merry-Go-Round approach to church is enough. Keep everyone moving, the lights bright, and the music happy and you will get no complaints. The big problem– too few are making any headway. Rather than missionary disciples for Christ moving out into the world, we have a group of happy people going in circles.
Excerpt from Ed Stetzer blog (http://www.edstetzer.com/2010/03/transformational-church—snip.html)
My own church is busting at the seams, so they had to set up three other halls with closed circuit television. They temporarily had two more services at other hours. And even then, they were ready to put closed circuit tv in a nearby warehouse!
Since it was going to be so very crowded and since I have Aspergers, I went to a church that wasn’t growing and therefore wasn’t crowded. My mistake.
The church was doing everything wrong! It was an esoteric service that an outsider would not feel comfortable with. It was pure religious tradition without the Spirit. The service assumed the laity were semi-literate proles. The sermon was a somber reiteration of the resurrection story. It’s got DOOM written all over it. I left in a bad mood.
Hello! I just felt random and wanted to say that my easter service was great. If u are looking for a church to go to… Swannanoa Baptist Church is the one. Everyone there makes a vistor feel like he or she is already a member there. Anyways…. Keep ur great website up! It is awesome. (owengirlz.yolasite.com is my website for owen middle… I have’nt really started it yet.. oh! and could u give me some advice on how to share my faith on the website and at school… I go to Owen Middle and i am VERY SHY!) Many thanks!
Jasmine Bumgarner
WE had an awesome Sunrise Service on Resurection Sunday. It was so anointed and holy. We are going to do this every year from now on!