“The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.” Isaiah 61:11 NLT

March 20th marks the beginning of Spring for us here in the Northern Hemisphere. Seeds are being planted, flowers are blooming, and we are beginning to hear the sound of lawn mowers in our neighborhood on Saturday mornings.

However, I realize that with green lawns and blooming flowers, comes only after a certain amount of work, that continues throughout the summer months.

This season is about “springing forth” of something new. Just as we can smell honeysuckles in the spring, and know they are nearby, there is a sense that God is up to something good with His Church. I believe the Church is about to have one of the greatest opportunities in planting seed, working the soil, and reaping a harvest, that will begin in the Spring and carry us through the Summer months.

A 20th Century poet, Pablo Nerudo, wrote, “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming”. Neither can we keep this movement of God with His Church from happening. It is going to happen. The question is, “Will we seize this moment of opportunity?”

One of the ways to take advantage of the moment is to use this Easter in-person services as an opportunity to invite people back to church. A lot of people have yet returned to in-person services. Many have become comfortable in their living room while attending online services. But nothing will ever take the place of in-person cooperate worship with our church family.

Here are three things that are happening already in the church, that will help us this Easter:

Excitement – Pastors and church leaders are gearing up with excitement to promote Easter Sunday. Most pastors feel comfortable inviting their congregation back to church, as well as inviting guests. This is something that most of us have not felt comfortable doing the past 12 months, as we felt the need to social distant and respect people’s space due to that ugly word “pandemic”.

Expectation – Pastors and church leaders are expecting to see some of their members that has yet to return to in person services on Easter Sunday. We know some will not feel comfortable returning, but we expect to see people we haven’t seen in our churches in a long time.

Emerge – Emerge means “to come out of something, to come into view”. Some of the synonyms for emerge is to “arise; spring forth; to crop up; to surface”. I believe that as we enter this season that there is a spiritual application as well. I believe it is time that the church emerges; it is a time that the church arises, and sees new life. The church stands to see a great harvest this Spring and Summer if we are willing to plant the seed, work the ground, and reap the harvest!

Thank you for your faithfulness! You are loved and appreciated!