On Good Friday the doors will open at 6 pm if you’d like to come early to prepare your heart in the sanctuary for our Good Friday service that starts at 7 pm. This will be a time of worship, and I’ll be telling the story of Jesus from the last supper to the last breath. The content of Good Friday includes things like, anguish and sweating blood, betrayal and denial, beatings and crucifixion. Understanding the sufferings of Christ deepens our appreciation of what our salvation cost to God. You are welcome to bring children. The kids rooms will be open to use if you need them.
On “Holy Saturday” we are opening the sanctuary for a time of open prayer 6-9 pm. There will be no live worship and no one leading, just a little music mix playing to create an atmosphere. The thought behind this is that many of us will likely be quietly preparing our hearts on Saturday evening for Easter Sunday. So, why not do it together? Come by for 30 minutes, or 3 hours. The prayer room will be open, as well, if a few of you want to join together for some circle prayer.
Saturday evening isn’t just for ourselves, though. The fact is that more people who don’t yet know Christ attend Easter services than any other service of the year. I don’t mean just Ren Church, but—Hope Church and His Providence and Grace Harbor and Impact Center and Aletheia and Feast and Sanctuary and Godspeed and many other local churches in the region. This is a tremendous opportunity that should move us to fervent cries and groans for the lost to be found this Sunday! Prayer makes a difference (James 5)! Please join me on Saturday @ 10 Tripps in the sanctuary, and if you cannot be present in body, join me in spirit by praying wherever you are.
Easter Sunday will be exciting, as it always is. It’s the celebration of the single greatest event in the history of the world—the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! Our main service will, actually, start at 11 (not 10). And we are aiming to keep service to one hour since many of us have family commitments in the afternoon. I encourage you to come early. The doors will be open between 10-11 am for coffee, pastries, and fellowship. My heart is burning to preach what God has put in my heart out of Luke 24. I believe the Lord is going to do a powerful work of renewal in many! Be praying that the Word would penetrate and accomplish its purpose. And be praying that the worship would be marked by the tangible presence of Christ!
As I mentioned in my last newsletter, there will be a tiny service 9-10 am in the sanctuary for those who are serving as volunteers in the main service. Anyone serving in kids ministry, safety team, coffee bar, and so on, is welcome to join this early gathering. Also, if there is absolutely no way you can make the 11 am service, you can come to the 9 am gathering, but—please just let me know that you are doing that by responding to this email. The reason we are only doing one main service this year is that we really want to be all together and pack the house and blow the roof off. So I’m asking you to attend the main 11 am service.
Inviting people
Let’s all work together to invite people. Maybe it’s time to just ask your neighbor or coworker if they’d be interested in coming to an Easter service with you. Maybe you could forward the beautiful Easter invite graphic that Katherine made to someone you know. On social media we have posted info about Easter weekend. It would help if you “liked” the post and considered reposting it to help give it traction. And, above all, you can pray earnestly that the Spirit would draw people in on Sunday and that they’d be powerfully touched by God!
Lastly, you might be reading this as someone who used to feel close to God but somehow or other you now find yourself in a place feeling distant from God and a bit disillusioned by everything. Some of you may have even slid down the deconstruction road and are experiencing serious doubts. Maybe attending a church on Easter is the furthest thing from your mind this year. You are just kind of done with church, at this point. I encourage you to come, just as you are, in your prodigal son condition, and see what God will do. You might think that going to church on Easter isn’t going to change a thing. But it’s on my heart to remind you that God Himself often makes his appeal through human vessels. God speaks through imperfect preachers. And words that come from God can revive the heart. God’s word can transform you. One timely word from God can bring us from the deep mire into the heights of wonder. Don’t underestimate what the Word can accomplish in you. And if you feel too ashamed, or too unworthy, or too far gone—put all that aside and remember that none of your failures have quenched God’s love for you. He stands, ready and waiting, to receive you and to renew you. Jesus said, Come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. God said through the prophet Isaiah, Come to the waters. That invitation to come to him is real. Come to Ren Church this Sunday. Or come to any gospel church near you. Come with your burdens and weariness, your guilt and your shame. Come with all your feelings of unworthiness. Come with an open heart, and watch what he’ll do.
Praying for you all!
Pastor Scott