Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
Okay, here we go, “The Sunday after Easter.” Or, as our good friend pastor Tim Black used to say, “National Associate Pastors’ Sunday.“
Another label – one that makes absolutely no sense to me in light of what I am about to write – is that of “Low Sunday;” so named because today is traditionally one of the lowest attended Sundays of the year.
I have never understood that! If anything the first Sunday following Easter should be extra well attended.
Because if – as was certainly evidenced at Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church this past week, reflecting a pattern we witnessed consistently over 40 years of ministry – Easter worship is such a powerful and redemptive spiritual experience, loaded with love and light and hope and promise, then how could people possibly not return the following week?
I would argue that the reason Easter Sunday felt so good, so inspirational, so right, so affirming, so glorious, so bursting with love, so life-giving is – primarily – because you were there.
And by “you” I mean literally that, I mean you personally.
You – even if you abandoned the church, even if you stopped showing up years ago, even if you are a twice a year attendee, even if you only came because your mother worked her guilt on you, even if you’re not sure that you even believe – were not a spectator last week, you were part of the congregation.
God is very clear that there are no loopholes, no caveats, no exclusions when it comes to the invitation home. You are invited because you are already accepted. The only question is are you going to choose to embrace, to enjoy, to live into, “all the rights and privileges thereto appertaining?”
You are invited because you are already accepted!
Because of Easter, because of Jesus, God has already conferred the rights and privileges. They are yours.
And we are your family.
So you might as well show up and enjoy the experience. There is – as you probably noticed last week on Easter Sunday – nothing quite like it.
I’ll look for you. I’d like to be among the first to say, “Welcome Home!” – DEREK
The story I’ve heard on “low Sunday” is that it harks back to the days when the church celebrated Easter for a full week, ushered in by “high” Easter Sunday and concluded with “low” Easter Sunday. I do love the second Easter Sunday when the rabbit has gone home and the eggs are all old business and we can think about the wonder of Jesus without so much distraction. But, yes, it is often a low attendance Sunday and tired pastors let someone else preach…
Yes, I have heard that too. Today was a most excellent day of worship at our church.