{"id":31475,"date":"2022-09-10T15:31:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-critical-actions-to-prepare-for-a-socially-distanced-easter-sunday\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:31:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:31:52","slug":"3-critical-actions-to-prepare-for-a-socially-distanced-easter-sunday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-critical-actions-to-prepare-for-a-socially-distanced-easter-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Critical Actions to Prepare for a Socially-Distanced Easter Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-image-100342\">Pixabay photo &#8211; Pexels<\/div>\n<p><em>By Dr. James Merritt<\/em><\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago, we never dreamed we\u2019d be in this position. Having our congregation worship from their homes strictly online is one thing; facing the unprecedented prospect of not physically gathering for Easter Sunday is another.<\/p>\n<p>During this season of coronavirus outbreak and social distancing, I believe God is purifying the church and teaching us a lot about ourselves\u2014maybe more than we\u2019ve learned about ourselves since the Great Depression.<\/p>\n<p>And there\u2019s fear. There\u2019s anxiety. There is grief. There\u2019s physical suffering. There\u2019s economic upheaval.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s also hope.<\/p>\n<p>We have our limitations, but God isn\u2019t limited by the coronavirus. Let\u2019s join Him in the critical work before us. I\u2019d like to share some things my church is doing to prepare for an Easter Sunday unlike any we\u2019ve ever had.<\/p>\n<div class='code-block code-block-1' style='margin: 8px 0;clear: both'> <\/div>\n<h3 class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>1. Start inviting people now.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>People are starving for communication and they want to be connected. If you haven\u2019t already, ramp up now to have the largest online Easter gathering your church has ever had (because you probably will).<\/p>\n<p>For example, encourage your staff and members to start inviting people to Easter watch parties on Facebook (presuming your church will broadcast services on Facebook Live).<\/p>\n<p>If it fits for your context, consider holding multiple services and presenting different opportunities for people to tune in.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to do this is the old-fashioned way: Go around your neighborhood knocking on doors.<\/p>\n<p>At the church I lead, Crosspointe Church, we asked our people approach five neighbors they don&#8217;t know using these steps:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Prepare a card that asks two questions\u2014<em>How can I serve you?<\/em> and <em>How can I pray for you?<\/em>\u2014along with your phone number, email address, and online service information for your church.<\/li>\n<li>Place the card on the porch by the door.<\/li>\n<li>Knock on the door or ring the doorbell.<\/li>\n<li>Step back at least six feet and wait for them to answer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If your neighbor(s) answer the door, engage them in a conversation by asking them if there\u2019s anything they need, like a grocery store run.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also a helpful bonus if you have a small gift for them. My wife Teresa and I are including a loaf of homemade banana nut bread with our card.<\/p>\n<p>Up until recently it seems we\u2019ve been too busy to get to know our neighbors. But it\u2019s not the case right now. There\u2019s never been a better opportunity than now to reach out to your neighbors and impress upon your congregation to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>Most churches are doing everything we can within our limitations. We must help them understand that we may not be able to <em>go<\/em> to church, but we <em>are<\/em> the church.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s not miss this opportunity to show a hurting world how a church responds in crisis.<\/p>\n<div style=\"clear:both;margin-top:0em;margin-bottom:1em\">\n<div class=\"centered-text-area\">\n<div class=\"centered-text\" style=\"float: left\">\n<div class=\"uc04a85ea7bae18eb79a7ce88ca039f41-content\">See also&nbsp; Is It \u2018Ministry Failure\u2019 To See a Counselor?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ctaButton\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>2. Be mindful of the gravity of your message.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s no choice in terms of the messaging and the content. We must convey the hope of the resurrection to a world more desperate than ever for good news.<\/p>\n<p>What I&#8217;ve been doing with these last couple of weeks that I\u2019ve been preaching online is delivering messages on faith and the importance of focusing on God.<\/p>\n<p>During days like this I believe God calls the church not to worry, but to worship. Not to live in fear, but live by faith.<\/p>\n<p>So, we should lead people to focus on what He\u2019s doing through these trying times.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>3. Don\u2019t neglect the importance of music.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the most impactful things a church can do to prepare for Easter is make sure powerful, uplifting music is built into the service.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that many people tuning in might not have darkened the doors of a church for years\u2014if ever\u2014so plan to sing songs they\u2019re likely to be familiar with to get them engaged.<\/p>\n<p>Like many of you, we\u2019re intentional to marry the music to the message. Typically, the worship team at my church knows four to five weeks ahead of time what I\u2019m preaching on a particular Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Most church leaders have been scrambling over the past week or two in order to pivot their ministries in a way to meet their congregations and communities in this uncharted territory of social distancing and quarantines.<\/p>\n<p>On Easter Sunday people tuning in should hear the most hopeful story ever\u2014the hope of the resurrection. So work now with your worship pastor or whoever leads music to create a seamless experience for everyone tuning in.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>The opportunity before us<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Every pastor right now has to be a \u201cWinston Churchill\u201d in their context: We\u2019re not going to give up. We&#8217;re going to fight to keep our ministries effective. We\u2019re in this together. We&#8217;re going to <em>be<\/em> the church.<\/p>\n<p>And to paraphrase Churchill, I say to the church everywhere during these days of COVID-19 outbreak: Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the church on earth lasts for a thousand years, the world will still say, \u201cThis was their finest hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-genesis-blocks-gb-profile-box square gb-has-avatar gb-font-size-18 gb-block-profile gb-profile-columns\">\n<div class=\"gb-profile-column gb-profile-avatar-wrap\">\n<div class=\"gb-profile-image-wrap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gb-profile-column gb-profile-content-wrap\">\n<h2 class=\"gb-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">James Merritt<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gb-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\"><strong>@drjamesmerritt<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"gb-profile-text\">\n<p>James is the lead pastor of Crosspointe Church in Duluth, Georgia, the host of broadcast ministry \u201cTouching Lives,\u201d and the author of several books, including his latest release, <em>Character Still Cou<\/em><em>nts<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"gb-social-links\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-box su-box-style-default\" id=\"\" style=\"border-color:#000000;border-radius:0px\">\n<div class=\"su-box-title\" style=\"background-color:#333333;color:#FFFFFF;border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px\">Dig Deeper at Lifeway.com<\/div>\n<div class=\"su-box-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"border-bottom-left-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px\">\n<div class=\"one-third first\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"two-thirds\">\n<h3>After Easter: How Christ&#8217;s Resurrection Changed Everything<\/h3>\n<p>Jeremy Royal Howard &amp; Doug Powell<\/p>\n<p>  FIND OUT MORE <\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class='yarpp yarpp-related yarpp-related-website yarpp-template-thumbnails'>\n<h3>Related posts:<\/h3>\n<div class=\"yarpp-thumbnails-horizontal\">  What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times?  What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation?  3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pixabay photo &#8211; Pexels By Dr. James Merritt A few weeks ago, we never dreamed we\u2019d be in this position. Having our congregation worship from their homes strictly online is one thing; facing the unprecedented prospect of not physically gathering for Easter Sunday is another. During this season of coronavirus outbreak and social distancing, I &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-critical-actions-to-prepare-for-a-socially-distanced-easter-sunday\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;3 Critical Actions to Prepare for a Socially-Distanced Easter Sunday&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31475\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}