5 Reasons Why Every Sunday Matters
Easter is coming up this weekend which means most churches (and for good reason) are putting in extra preparation for their services. And to be clear, I am all for making Easter (and Christmas) services extra special. These are some of the highest attended services of the year, and we should want to do them the best we can.
At the same time, we can also over-value them so much while also under-valuing lower attended services (like those that fall on holiday weekends) that we create a culture where some services matter more than others. If we don't create a culture of taking every Sunday seriously (regardless of the number of people who come), we are missing out on being as faithful and impactful as we could. So here are five reasons every Sunday matters (and not just Easter).
1) We have no idea what some people are going through
No matter what size the church you are a part of is, the reality is that we often have no idea what people are dealing with at any given time. We don't
Every week we have the opportunity to love and encourage people with the good news of Jesus. We are all carrying the weight and difficulty of life around with us, and that fact that God would allow us to play any role in impacting others should inspire us to take seriously every Sunday that we have the opportunity to do that.
2) We don't know why everyone came
Every Sunday also matters because we don't know every individual's reason for coming. Was it because someone invited them and they haven't been to a church service in their entire life? Is it because they are going through something really hard and are feeling hopeless? Is it because they really want to know if God is real?
Every Sunday matters because every person matters. I'm willing to bet if we knew all the stories of everyone who was coming every week, we would see the importance of taking every Sunday seriously, even the ones where we know fewer people are going to show up.
3) Every week is someone's first time
If we knew someone we had been praying for was coming for the first time this Sunday, we would pray and hope for a great day. In many churches, there is at least one new person that comes every week, which means someone's friend, family member, or coworker is coming for the first time.
This could be someone that has been prayed for by a friend for years, in which case this Sunday not only matters for the new guest, but for the person who cares a lot about them. If you plan for new people to come, you'll take every Sunday seriously because you never know what that first visit might do for them.
4) It honors God
I know very few people or church staff would actually say "this particular Sunday isn't that important," but it certainly comes across in how we plan and prepare if that is what we think. Whether 10 people or 1,000 people show up, these are people that God cares for. So we must do the best we can every Sunday for them because it honors God. Ultimately we serve God and not people anyway (no matter what type of job you have). So we should do our best whether not it is Easter or Labor Day weekend.
5) The truth of Easter is why we gather every week
Jesus' resurrection isn't a once a year celebration, it is an every day reality. Every Sunday is our opportunity to celebrate what he came to do.
So yes, plan and do some extra things you don't do every Sunday (we are doing that New City Church as well), but also take seriously next Sunday. Don't buy into the lie that some Sunday's aren't that special because it might be a lower attended Sunday. Care about every Sunday, because one of the people I have been praying for might show up at your church soon, and I want him or her to experience the Gospel and know all Jesus has done for them.
Easter at New City
Every Sunday matters. This Sunday just