News from Faith United Presbyterian Church

How Might We Help More People Experience Holy Week?

On Maundy Thursday, I shared with those gathered to worship that one of my greatest disappointments as your pastor has been in my inability to help more of our sisters and brothers appreciate the importance of offering their worship during Holy Week. As followers of Jesus Christ, even if we know the story by heart, we simply can't appreciate Easter, if we haven't joined Jesus in the Upper Room or followed him to Golgotha.

On Easter Sunday, an elder in our church came to my office before worship. He shares my burden for helping our people understand the importance of offering their worship each and every Sunday. He also shares my conviction that if our congregation is to grow in our spiritual health, more of our people need to make not only worship, but Holy Week worship, more of a priority in their lives.

In the course of our conversation, our brother in Christ suggested that maybe we need to provide a meal on Maundy Thursday. This is a good idea and we will consider it. Last year, we had a Christian Seder meal. Perhaps, we'll continue that tradition or simply provide a light meal of soup and sandwiches. In either case, having a meal on Maundy Thursday makes sense theologically, as we are celebrating Jesus' last meal with his disciples.

Be this as it may, ultimately the issue, as so many church issues do, comes down to our willingness to share the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ with our neighbors. We had sixty-two people worship on Maundy Thursday. We had sixty-five people worship on Good Friday. When you consider the number of churches and communities that have given up on Holy Week worship because of poor attendance, our numbers look pretty good. We, also, had two hundred and sixty-eight people worship on Easter Sunday. Anything over two hundred and fifty is great for us.

Many of my colleagues would say, with these numbers, I should be grateful. I am. If it were only about the numbers, I would be more grateful. But it isn't. It is about helping all of our members and friends, experience the fullness of God's love through their offering of worship.

If we, the session and the staff of this congregation, are not providing this opportunity. It is incumbent upon you, the members, to share your concerns with our session. If we are, it is incumbent upon you to offer your worship and to share with others the good news of Christ's love you have found in our life together.

See you in church!