The sermon starts in the parking lot
Believe it or not, Easter is just around the corner! While the average person may not think about Easter this early in the game (unless you’re quite the planner!), those of us who serve on staff at Chapel Hill have been planning for it for months—and there’s still much to do! “But,” you may be asking, “why do we put so much stock into one weekend?” Great question.
For starters, we come together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord—that Jesus rose from the dead and, because of that, we can live a new, abundant life that begins now and continues into eternity. Now, that alone is worthy of our preparation, our time, our efforts, our worship!
But Easter is also one of two times during the year when we host far more guests than usual (the other being Christmas). This means we have an opportunity to share and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus with many people with whom we wouldn’t ordinarily get the opportunity to engage. We should take advantage of this! At Chapel Hill, we care deeply about reaching everyone with the message of Jesus Christ. And all of us play an important part in doing that.
We may think it’s the preacher’s responsibility alone to communicate the gospel to those who attend our services. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! We all hold a valuable role in reaching our community with the gospel—and that’s why we are inviting you to serve this Easter.
I recall a speaker saying, “The sermon starts in the parking lot.” That means a person’s impression of Christianity, of church, of faith, begins when they step out of their car and head toward the building. This is why we need you—all of you—to serve in some capacity on Easter. We want to invite you to share and demonstrate the gospel of Jesus as you keep our parking lot safe, welcome people at the doors, usher people to their seats, take care of their children, and help out in other ways around the building. You can sign up to serve in one of these capacities online, or sign up on the big whiteboard in the lobby this weekend.
And when it comes time for you to serve, remember: you are Jesus’ ambassador, his sent one, to reach out to those who may feel far from God. God loves you and wants to use you for his purposes this Easter!
Gunnar Tesdahl
Director of Worship