Easter brings me both great joy and a bit of sadness. Joy because of the Resurrection. Sadness because it is one of two times a year, I take people off of the church rolls because they no longer come. I try to contact these people throughout the year. Mostly, I get no response. Did we hurt them? Were they put off? Did they find something better? Are they struggling with a crisis? I pray for them. I want to know what might make St. Andrew's a better, more responsive church. Did they leave/quit for the right reasons, because we had a clear mission? These are folks who once were enthusiastic and are now no longer present.
I read this past week that a church in Corpus Christi was giving away all sorts of stuff on Easter to attract folks. Big churches with coffee bars and high tech facilities seem to grow. Do people find Christ when they come? I honestly don't know. I am not sure if people always find Christ here either. Maybe they were not looking for Christ. Maybe not even coffee. But, maybe, they were looking for something that even they did not understand or were not able to articulate. But I do suspect that they did not show up at St. Andrew's inadvertently. It takes great boldness in the 21st century to show up at a church on Sunday when church is a new (or newly reacquired) experience.
Father, help me be the best Christ I can be when seekers show up. Fill me with your agenda and flush out my own. Inspire me to understand their journey more than I want them to understand mine. May they be the subject of my ministry and never the object. And, Father, place them in some church where they may be fed and sent by your Son.
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