Five Weeks Until Easter
Just a few weeks ago, our staff began to pray for Easter weekend, particularly for people who are some of our nicest neighbors, folks we enjoy, and people with home we work and play–all of whom need to know Jesus as more than an idea or person of history. They need to know HIM.
Several movies have been made about being able to read the thoughts of other people. It’s the man who can hear the thoughts of women, or vice versa. A common element is how it changes that individual when he/she is knows what people are thinking. I’ve often wondered what would happen to us if we could finally hear all the pain, the hopes and dreams, the fears and aspirations, even the desperation of people all around us. Would we take more initiative to care for them? Would we share our faith with them? Would we invite them to something like Easter?
Lance was a guy I met in a circle of skeptics when I was in my late 20’s. He was smooth, suave, intelligent, and appraising of people all around him. I thought to myself, “This guy must be here just to find women. He’s not going to be interested in the Gospel.” But in the months to come, I learned that when I met him, he was wounded from a broken relationship, terrified to be in a church setting of any kind, and even intimidated by me. I was intimidated by him! We became friends and I loved him. I had no idea what was going on, and frankly, he needed to be invited, included, affirmed as “worth” my time and attention, worth an invitation.
Five weeks from now, we will meet for Easter. We will all work hard at hospitality and serving; all of our tech crews and volunteers will work hard to coordinate transportation and childcare, hosting three different venues over that very full morning. But will we have invited people who really needed to hear about Jesus on that day?
Will you start praying with me, with our staff today, asking for courage and boldness to assume others around us are as insecure as we are? Will you ask God to give you courage to invite? Will you start praying for people you know, specifically about where they stand with Jesus? The time will fly by. That weekend will come. Will you be praying for someone on the campus as you walk into worship? Let’s ask God to use us to live and love like Jesus, seeking out someone who needs to know that Jesus came looking for THEM?
