A big family Easter meal has been a constant in my life. When I was growing up and well into my adult years, my Mother hosted gatherings that included grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more. When my wife and I moved back to my place of origin (Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas) after nearly a decade away , we assumed hosting duties. And, we continued the tradition of inviting family living even somewhat nearby to join us. The initial experiences are shown below. Then we observed a Read More …
easter
Top 10 Posts of 2020 (#1905)
2020 has been the year of the pandemic, and a year marked by more changes in the life of the American church than any in my lifetime. This year's top posts reflect this reality while also including content focused on the always popular topics of good books and Mainline decline. My Seminary is Closing (February)Dear HSU Trustees (February)My Seminary is Closing - The Bigger Picture (February)May Love Overcome and Justice Roll Down (January)Easter Miracles: Empty Tomb, Empty Churches Read More …
Church Changes in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic (#1863)
Nearly every American church has implemented significant changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveys mentioned below offer data about changes that have occurred and changes people would welcome in the future. Each statistic comes from a different survey. 3% of Americans planned to attend an Easter worship service in person (PRRI survey conducted April 6-11, 2020)29% of churches have stopped offering communion for the time being (Barna survey conducted March 20 - April 6, Read More …
Easter Miracles: Empty Tomb, Empty Churches (#1862)
After more than forty years of experience (including twenty years in parish ministry), I knew the Easter morning rhythm: sunrise service outside (usually with a modest crowd) followed by sanctuary services inside (usually with overflow crowds). These celebratory services of worship proclaimed the good news of emptiness (in the form of an empty tomb) and the joy of resurrection and new life. A New Emptiness This Easter most of the United States and much of the world is marked Read More …
Most Popular Sermons (#1570)
We are now almost two weeks into the second half of the year known as 2015. A few weeks ago I shared my most popular blog posts from the first half of the year. Today, I offer my most popular sermons from the first half of the year (based on YouTube views) in lieu of new sermon content since I am on vacation and not preaching this morning. Titleless - watch / read - a 13 min. message on humility Surprising Salaries - watch / read - a 12 min. message on the Read More …
Sermon: The Easter Difference (#1538)
Sermon Text: Matthew 28:1-10 Sermon Excerpt Think about how the day begins. The two Mary’s know that Jesus is dead. The future they had been planning for themselves died with Jesus. They were mourning. In the midst of their grief they did the only thing they knew to do; they went where Jesus was. While all four Gospel writers include this story, only Matthew features special effects that would play well to a modern audience, especially on the big screen. One Read More …
More Church at Easter or Christmas? (#1394)
Many local churches see dramatic increases in worship attendance at Christmas and Easter. Perhaps then it isn't surprising to learn that people Google the word church more during Christmas week and Easter week than on any other weeks of the year. More specifically, over the last ten years more Americans have searched the word church during Easter week than at any other time of year (Christmas, of course, came in second). So What? While many churches do an excellent job of targeted Read More …
Sermon: The Easter Difference (#1392)
Text: Matthew 28:1-10 Sermon Excerpt Pam Driesell, a Presbyterian pastor, tells a story of her good friend Mary’s recent Easter experience. To make sure her four-year old daughter Elena really understood what Easter is all about Mary tried talking to her about it. "Mommy, will the Easter bunny bring me purple jelly beans?" I am sure he will bring you jelly beans, Elena. But, remember, Easter isn't about the bunny. It's about Jesus. "But will they be purple?" Yes, honey, I am sure Read More …
Don’t Believe Easter, Live It (#1060)
David Henson, a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Church who received his Master of Arts from Graduate Theological Union (Berkeley, CA), recently wrote what has become for me the most thought provoking post I have read this year on the topic of Easter. He writes: Frankly, I don’t care if you believe Jesus was literally or metaphorically resurrected. And neither does Easter. I find it laughable we try to reduce the power of Easter to a proposition, as if the resurrection Read More …
Living the Overflow (#1053)
Preparing Nearly everyone knows that more people attend worship in churches on Christmas and Easter than at any other time. Many churches add services to welcome the larger than usual crowds. Regardless of congregational size, most leadership bodies opt to do whatever is possible to make all who come feel welcome (including ensuring each guest has a seat). At Naples United Church of Christ, we opted to take a rather traditional approach by adding: Services - expanding from two Read More …