The
Easter People
“Yet a time is coming and has
now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in
truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and
his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24
Last Sunday the sanctuary was full. The Easter people
had arrived, dressed in their finery and lining up to take photos in front of
the flower-filled cross. Most, no doubt,
had plans afterward for dinners and brunches, egg hunts and fellowship. It was
a holiday, after all.
I attend a contemporary service that gathers twice
each Sunday in the fellowship hall. It was full. There were no more chairs to
put out. The traditional services in the sanctuary had very few seats available.
It was truly a blessing.
Some of those seats were filled with people who were
visiting from out of town. But many were filled with people who just don’t view
attending worship services as a priority. It’s all about the beach or the lake
or the ballgames. God falls far below the list of things one must do on a
Sunday morning.
How sad. How would we feel if God only showed up for
us on special holidays? How would we react if Jesus only saved us one day a
year? Why do we think it’s okay to expect Him to always be there for us when we
can’t even give him an hour or so once each week?
I looked up the definition of sanctuary. I wanted to
make sure I could correctly use the word to explain how we use the church
fellowship hall each Sunday morning. Some of the definitions I expected. Sanctuary
means a church, a temple, a holy place.
But it also means a refuge. A sanctuary is a place of
safety where people who are in danger can go to be safe. How powerful is that?
We all need His protection. Whether we realize it or
not, whether we accept it or not, we are under attack 24/7, 365 days a year.
Satan and his followers want nothing more than to derail God’s good plans for His
people. We encourage that when we fail to surround ourselves with the most
basic things, such as worshiping our Lord in the presence of other believers.
Faith in God, gratitude to Jesus, and being filled
with His Spirit isn’t just something we can trot out on special occasions and
call ourselves good. It’s a daily thing, a way of life. That’s true faith. It’s
a life that worships our Risen Lord every single day.
We want that but we don’t. We’d rather spend our days
living in the world, enjoying its pleasures. We want what God can give us but
we don’t want to sacrifice anything, including our precious time, to give Him something
in return. It’s all about us. At least that’s what Satan whispers in our ears.
We fail to notice, to understand, that it’s never been about us at all.
Sunday services will be back to normal today. All the
guests have returned home. All the Easter people are back about their business,
doing what they do on Sunday mornings. Church is a distant memory. They’re
good. No need to attend every week.
I wonder what would happen if we were Easter people
all the time. I wonder how our lives, our world, would change if we truly
embraced Christ every day. I wonder how our hearts might love others if we filled
ourselves with the love that He gives so freely to us.
Where are you this Sunday morning? Are you worshiping
God or are you embracing the world?
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