But did you know that it is also an extraordinary opportunity to honor Him with your practical service?Here are ten ways that you can glorify Christ be serving Him this weekend.
1. Post your church's activities on social media. Help your church create a stir that something extraordinary is happening. Indeed it already has. Jesus rose from the grace.
2. Invite a friend. My experience shows this is the time of year that non-church people are very receptive to an invitation to come to church. Do it. Be bold. Take them to lunch afterwards.
3. Park as far from the church as you are able to walk. Give the visitors the impression that this place is accessible. Let them think, "This place is better than Wal-Mart! I pulled right in a primo spot!"
4. Beeline to a visitor. Make sure people feel welcome in your church. We forget how terrifying it is to walk into a new setting where everyone else seems to know each other. It is okay to let the people you already know and love float without you for a few moments. This is the best opportunity to connect all year.
5. Don't take the best seats. Sit near the front. You read that right. Most visitors are hoping to "sneak in the back" and take a distant seat to observe from afar. Give the visitors and Christmas/Easter folk an opportunity have their choice of premium seating. Don't worry, you don't have to be a charismatic to sit in the front row. You can stay Reformed, even if you are near the pulpit! Spurgeon said so. Or was it Calvin?
6. Pray for your pastor. If he is like me, he is agonizing over his sermon this week. Really trying to hit a home run this weekend. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire him, and pray that he remembers that the Holy Spirit converts sinners, not the best-prepared sermon.
7. Be a good example. Fill out the connection card. Open the hymnal. Pronounce the creed loudly. Keep your Bible open during church. All of these non-verbal cues show visitors, "This is how they do it here."
8. Stay and clean up. Most years, this is the busiest weekend service of all. It's also the messiest. Bulletins and gum will be everywhere. The restrooms will be well-used. The staff is likely exhausted from multiple services this week. Give them a hand.
9. Pray again. After the service is over, pray again for the sermon, that the Spirit would come and seal the message into people's hearts even after the formal time of worship is over.
10. Tweet, share, and promote the audio, video, quotes, and Scriptures. Do this both before and after the weekend. Let people know what is coming up--and what happened when it is over.
-Matthew Everhard is the Senior Pastor of Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Brooksville, Florida.
Invite them to your home for lunch instead of flooding local restaurants with a post church nightmarish rush that keeps them away from their family on the most important day of the year. If you Must dine out keep in mind you are representing your redeemer. Be extra patient, kind, forgiving, and generous (tip more than the standard 20% of your check) even if your server was too busy to give you all the attention you wanted. If you're lucky they will even tell their coworkers about the "Christian at table 21 that wasn't god-awful on Easter";)
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