I read something this morning that me chuckle, “Easter attendance is the most overrated statistic in the world for small churches”. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved that our church had more people in it on Easter Sunday than it has had probably since last Easter. I loved the sound we made as we sang, I loved to see new faces listen as I preached and I loved the energy the large crowd brought to our auditorium. But it was just one week. This week we will be back to just the regular attenders, and some of us will feel discouraged because we will remember what Easter was like.
I think that feeling has been happening ever since the first Easter. How different do you think the people felt two years after Jesus rose from the dead? They no longer had that amazing feeling of seeing the resurrected Christ. Now they were living their lives with the daily activities of working, paying bills, raising children, gathering for worship and remembering what Easter was like. We, too, can fall into that trap of being discouraged or disappointed about church when we’ve had a taste of how good it could be. “I remember” is a dangerous phrase.
What if every Sunday could be like Easter? What if every time we went to church, there was a full house, happy faces, loud singing and great energy? What if we could go to a church that made you feel joyous every week that Jesus is risen? Well, I think that is possible. I think Easter should be the norm not the exception. How, you may ask? Why not bring a friend this week? Why not reach out to a neighbor and bring them to church with you? If the only time our church is full is when our family from out of town visits, are we doing our best at reaching our community?
