This Sunday, churches across North America and the world will be invaded by a special breed of person.  They grace us with their presence every Christmas and Easter and are thus called, Chreasters or CEOs (Christmas Easter and Other). To be honest with you, when in my first few years of ministry, I was a little agitated with them. How dare they come only once or twice a year?  I wanted to stand up in church and scream in Christ-like righteous anger, “Where in the world have you been all year?”  But then I began looking for them every holiday.  It wasn’t long until I appreciated them and now I even plan for them.  There are many reasons I love Easter, and few more important than it brings many people who only hear the Gospel once or twice a year into your church.  Are you ready for them?  Are you expecting them and wanting them to come?  Here are a couple of reminders to pastors and churches. 

Pastors, it’s ok to consider your guests as you plan your sermon.  This is probably not the Sunday to bring out that hour-long sermon you’ve been longing to preach to your seminary professor to prove to him how smart you are.  Don’t worry; your wife knows your not as smart as you think you are.  Be gospel-rich, theologically sound and point your audience to the hope of our risen Lord.  Remember, the gospel is powerful enough on its own.  Here’s a good rule of thumb: Don’t create on Easter Sunday what you are unable or unwilling to create on Labor Day Sunday.  Don’t create a show you put on but communicate so the Spirit will put Himself in. By all means, be on point this Sunday; make sure Jesus is your point.  Preach Jesus.

Regular attendees, as you arrive, if you are able, park a little farther away.  Wear your Fitbit that morning to assure you receive credit for your steps.  Try and sit closer to the front this week. If you are a Baptist, I know that goes against all holy and godly habits, but don’t make your guest walk down the aisle.  Remember, there is no assigned seating at church.  If all goes well on Sunday, someone will be seated in your seat.  That is gloriously good news.  By all means, go out of your way to talk to people you don’t know. However, if you see someone new, don’t say, “Wow, it must be Easter. I haven’t seen you in a year.”  Also, don’t say to a person, “Are you new here?.” There’s a chance they’ve been coming to the church for weeks and they are only new to you.   It’s probably not in the interest of retaining your guest to say, “What in the world are you doing here? This is the last place I expected to see you.”  Instead, when you see someone new this weekend or someone you haven’t seen since last Easter, simply say, “It sure is good to have you in church today.”  It’s simple, direct and effective.  Mingle. Be kind.  Be joyful.

Finally, sing this Sunday.  Let your guests see and hear the joy of your salvation.  You will be singing about our risen Lord, Jesus.  Don’t sing with a frown on your face. Smile.  Let your guests see you are really happy to be in church and feel remarkably blessed to be a child of God.  There should be a joy in your church this Sunday that will be able to be felt by everyone there.  I like to remind people that Jesus will still be alive next Sunday too.  It might be appropriate to have some joy next Sunday as well, just a thought.

To our guests: Churches welcome you. We are looking forward to having you with us.  Come early, grab a cup of coffee and fellowship with us. We are genuinely glad you are here. Don’t worry about anything, simply be our guests.  We have been expecting you and want you to know God loves you passionately, and we are excited to have you worship with us.  If the service raises any questions in your mind, please contact the church. I know the pastor would love to meet with you and discuss your questions. In the future, if we can ever be of service to you, please let us know.

Have a great Easter Sunday.  My prayer for all churches is the Holy Spirit will prepare you well, use you greatly and exalt Jesus deeply.  Welcome your guests, preach Jesus, and all will be fine. Wake up on Monday and get ready to do it all again.  Easter may come once a year, but we get an opportunity to welcome guests every Sunday.  Be ready.  If you aren’t careful, you may realize Easter Sunday is the way it’s supposed to be every Sunday.  He is Risen!

We prepare ourselves for so many things.  Every important day or event we spend invaluable time making sure everything is perfect and everything is ready.  My daughter will be celebrating her first anniversary on June 2^nd.  I will never forget the time and effort it took to make sure her Wedding Day was perfect and an event that would leave an indelible mark in all of our lives.  We prepare and plan for what is important to us.  Many parents are sending their High School children to prom during this time of year.  Do you plan and prepare for prom? Of course, you do.  Why?  Because it’s an important day and you want to make sure your children are ready to get the very most out of the special evening.  You prepare and plan for what’s important to you.

How about Easter?  Is Easter important enough for you to prepare and plan for?  Now, I’m not asking about Easter lunch.  I know you are planning and preparing for Easter Lunch.  In our home, we’ve already created a menu and invited family and friends to join us.  I’m talking about Easter.  How will you prepare your heart and soul for Easter Sunday?  We want to sound increasingly holy and say it’s just another Sunday.  However, it’s not.  It is a special day and a very holy day.  So, if Easter is important will you plan and prepare for it?  Let me offer you a couple of suggestions:

1. Read – If you have time to only read one book during Easter week, read the Bible. Spend time daily in the Gospels. Pour the Gospels over your heart and soul this week. Linger in the last few days of Jesus’ earthly life.  I would recommend the following: Matthew 21:1-27:65; Mark 11:12-15:47; Luke 19:28-23:56; John 12:1-19:42 – Reflect upon the remarkable story of our Lord’s last week on this earth.  Be amazed, be broken, be humbled, be shocked, be grateful as you read.  Realize He could have traveled anywhere to stay away from the humiliation and shame of the cross. Instead, He willingly and lovingly walks the road to the cross.  Read the story this Easter season with fresh eyes.  Read them again for the first time.
   1. If you have time, add other books too. There are many great titles. James M. Boice and Philip Ryken have a great little book on the trial of Jesus that always blesses my heart. It’s called, “Jesus on Trial.” There are so many great titles. I still remember reading Max Lucado’s “Six House One Friday.” It was such a blessing.  Last year, Heidi and I read, “The Final Days of Jesus” by Andreas Kostenberger and Justin Taylor. It blessed my heart so much I’ve included it as my April book in my Pastor’s Book Club. I’m excited to read it again.
2. Love Others – You should always love people, but Easter week is a wonderful time to go above and beyond. Have you ever wondered why Christians enjoy the Christmas season so much?  It’s because we are so focused on others.  For 25 days, we are going out of our way to bless others.  We give others our time, our money, many gifts, and we are generally kinder and more loving.  We can do that for Easter too. Go out of your way this week to bless others.  Buy someone’s lunch this week. Pay for someone’s coffee as you drive-thru Starbucks.  Invite them to Easter Worship.  People are much more likely to attend church on Easter than any other day.  Invite them.  Go out of your way to show others Christ’s love as He showed His love for us Easter week nearly 2000 years ago. If you are attending FSBC, come volunteer at our Easter Outreach on Saturday.
3. Good Friday – Press deeply into Jesus on Good Friday. Wake up earlier than usual.  As you begin the day, imagine what this day must have been like for our Lord. He has already cried out to the Father to have the cup removed and He heard the Father say, “No.”  As you wake early, He is standing before Pilate receiving his death sentence that you and I deserve, not the spotless lamb of God.  Don’t walk through Good Friday hurriedly and unreflectively.  Attend a Good Friday service.  Our service begins at 6:00 pm.  It is a very somber and reflective service.  I’ll be examining on 2 Corinthians 2:21 “God made him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  He took my sin to the cross and withstood God’s wrath – He became what I am, a sinner so I can become what He is, righteous.  Praise be to God.
4. Sermon Preparation – What in the world do I mean? I know most of you will not be preparing a sermon.  However, I want to encourage you to prepare your heart to receive the sermon and your ears to hear the Word of the Lord.  If you don’t know what the next sermon will be, ask your pastor.  Most pastors have planned weeks in advance.  This is especially important on Easter.  At First Southern Baptist Church, we will be looking at John 11. Our hope is to uncover how we must react when God disappoints us.  As you read John 11, imagine how Mary and Martha felt when Jesus failed to react as they knew He could have saved their brother Lazarus.  When God disappoints, how do we respond? Read the passage. Come ready to listen and learn.
5. Easter Morning – before coming to church, spend time in the Gospels. Reflect what it must have been like that first Easter morning. The tomb was empty; Jesus is alive.  How would you have felt walking in disappointment to the tomb?  You knew he was dead. God’s reality does not always align with your knowledge. And by all means, attend church.  Corporately celebrate our risen Lord.

Don’t rush Easter week. Slow down.  Immerse yourself in Scripture and the remarkable story of Easter.  Invest in the lives of others.  Impact someone else with the hope of the Gospel.  Don’t let this be just another week in your year.  Make it special.  Make it holy. Make it meaningful. If you work on these things during Passion Week, you will probably find yourself carrying this out next week too. In no time at all, they will become holy habits of spiritual transformation.  You plan and prepare for what is important to you.  If Easter is important to you, take time this week to plan and prepare for a very special weekend.  Happy Easter. He is Risen.