Easter Sunday, our pastor talked about how many pastors view Easter Sunday Sermon as the Big Daddy Sermon of the year. Churches stress over how to get record crowds into the pews, how to reach the most people on that one particular Sunday. I remember seeing ads on facebook, "come worship with us this Easter Sunday and you could win a free flat screen TV," "Come visit us and win an I-pad." Our church, had no fancy electronics to entice wanders to cross our thresh hold. How could such a tiny little church complete with the offers of grandeur made by some churches? We can barely keep the sound system from screeching and the powerpoint operating some weeks.
I can tell how "on fire" my Pastor is going to be each Sunday before I even get out of bed. I have noticed for quite some time that the more God has in store for that morning, the harder Satan attacks. The kids fight, we oversleep, no one listens, clothes can't be found, every one is grouchy. We fly out the door, usually five minutes after we should have left, to make the thirty minute trek up the highway to Wapak, only be stuck in construction traffic.
This morning was no different. Thing were just not good. Kids had fought all weekend, one had been caught in a big lie, one refused to get up. I was tired, and to top things off my body hurts. My carpal tunnel is at a new all time high, waking me up in the middle of the night with numb hands and searing pain shooting up my arms, rendering it almost impossible to find any strength in my hands. My good ol' arthritis has began to kick in due to the chill in the morning and evening air. Yet, somehow, despite these "satan blocks," this morning we managed to leave on time, arriving before the beginning of the service.
We arrived in time to greet our church family and find our way to "our" spot. Grandpa found Rick and assigned him to the sound equipment, the kids wondered off to Adventureland. I sat and wondered what in the world was going on. There were new faces everywhere. The pews began filling up and I am pretty sure I heard our little church let out a joyful groan as it stretched its doors open a little wider, a little prouder.I thought perhaps I had missed the divine marquis above our church that was pointing down at the doors saying, "come one, come all." There really is no feeling like seeing so many new faces to worship with you in the place you so love.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus states, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (18:20, NKJV). And boy, let me tell you, God was in our presence well before the sermon began! As it was stated by Pastor Stephen, the sermon was just thge "icing on the cake" today. God is working. He has great plans for this little church. It is so evident to me by how the Holy Spirit shows up each Sunday: the many new faces, the spontaneous sharing of testimonies, the occupied altar, the family that started with five attending, but now takes up two pews.
Today it struck me, as it has many times, that we, as a church are growing both in numbers and in our faith. But how can this be since we have no fancy Sunday give aways, no television commericals advertising "Miracle Sunday." In my mind, the answer to this is very simple. We have an amazing, humble pastor whose only goal is to allow God to speak through him. He preaches nothing more than God's word, His promises, His commands. He does this in a manner that allows each of us to connect, to find what God is saying to us, what God is asking of each of us. There is no added pizzazz, no added promises, no tweaking of the scripture to fit what he wants to say, just what is written in our Grand Book. We are growing because we have Godly leadership, but also because we have love and understand that we are a family. Never have I been part of a church that is so giving, so loving, so welcoming. Each Sunday morning, it is like returning to a family reunion, seeing family that I have not seen in years. And by the time I move out of the embrace of the first hug that morning, nothing else seems to matter.The stress of the morning has melted away. My heart is ready to worship, to receive what God has in store.
How fortunate we are to have found our home and to be part of a growing congregation whose heart is so focused on God's will, on serving our Abba Pappa. I can think of no other place I want to be on Sundays, even if it means rebuking Satan and dealing with Sunday morning madness!
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