Easter’s going to be uniquely significant this year. Perhaps that’s especially true for those beloved souls who will find their way back to worship on that Sunday. Sobering global, national or local events will call all of us to consider again what it means to be the people of God in this time and place.
It’s likely that Easter worshippers will be especially ready for the Good News that Easter brings. These few familiar reminders might help you offer the hospitality these good folks could appreciate.
It will be important that you acknowledge these perhaps-infrequent visitors by name. That kind of greeting carries with it the message, “We still know who you are, friend!” (That task might be easier if you spend a few moments looking through the congregation’s most recent photo directory.) Among Easter worshippers this year will be those who, because of their COVID-related concerns, are just now returning to outside-of-the-home large group activities. Their feelings may be mixed, so your greeting will set the mood and offer the assurances that they hope for.
If your pre- or post-worship settings provide the opportunity, you may have time for some brief exchanges with returning worshippers. You already know how to turn any conversation into an enjoyable experience, so you can trust your intuition: Your questions will be respectful and personal—these are people who have faced circumstances similar to your own—and your answers to their questions will convey your welcoming spirit..
This Easter’s worship will give all of us a chance to connect again about what’s most necessary in these times: The Gospel of Jesus is deep and wide and personal—something we need to experience every day of our lives.
That will be something good to see (and hear) again!
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