Sunday Lessons

Everyone is preoccupied.

As a church leader I approach Sunday as if it’s the priority if everyone’s week.  It’s “game day” for those of us who get to do this for full-time employment and so it’s natural that Sunday feels like a big deal.  My life on the weekend even revolves around being ready for Sunday.

• We rarely make Saturday evening plans because I prefer to be home relaxing to get to bed on time.
• I wake up earlier on Sunday than any other day of the week.
• Sometime during the weekend I’ve planned what I’m going to wear and I make sure it’s washed and ironed.

I plan very intentionally to be at my best on our big day.

I think it’s critical that I treat this day so seriously.  It really matters.  In fact today across all of our campuses over 100 people gave their life to Christ.

That’s a big day!

But I also think it’s important that I don’t project my intensity onto those attending.  Sometimes I catch myself expecting them to be as excited as I am about jumping out of bed and coming to Cross Point.  It’s a nice desire, but it’s a poor expectation.

It’s a poor expectation because I’m failing to be aware of all that is going on in their lives.  They’re preoccupied by…

• the argument they had before leaving the house
• a friend who is hurting or sick
• the loss they feel in a relationship gone wrong
• the teenager they had to force to get up and get moving
• the aches that keep their well-worn body from moving like it used to
• the stress of their job and what’s looming for them Monday morning
• hope that the Titans will win
• the pain from the burn they got from pouring scalding hot water on themselves trying to make breakfast (Oh wait!  That was me 🙂 )

We’re all preoccupied by something.

Our lives are full and sometimes just making it through the doors of church is a miracle in itself.

My Sunday lesson this week is to anticipate each Sunday with eagerness and expectation but to weigh that with a tenderness and sensitivity for the load that people bring with them through those doors.

The greatest gift we can give them is an hour of uninterrupted space for God to speak to them.

May He do that through the work that we do every single Sunday!