If you are more than a casual observer on the American church scene then you know the Sunday after Easter (aka “Black Sunday”) tends to have fewer people and even fewer tumbleweeds than your average old western ghost town.

Here are a few reasons to attend church on the Sunday after Easter.

1)  No parking problems. Park close to the door even without a handicap sticker.

2)  Sit in your own pew.  This is not a statement regarding the results of the lack of personal hygiene, but with fewer attendees you have your choice of seats in sanctuary and plenty of elbow room.

3)  No lines in the café for your coffee. No barista either.

4)  Passing of the Peace is called “Say Hi to the old guy up front.”

5)  Congregational Singing in the bulletin is listed as “Ensemble Practice.”

 6)  Half off tithing.  NOT TRUE!!!!

 7)  The Pastor can personalize the points to each person in attendance.  i.e. “…and Joe I think I heard you gossiping last week.  Stop it!”

8)  You just might have a Divine supernatural encounter.  Thomas showed up a week after Easter and he met the Resurrected Jesus (read all about it in John 20:24-30), you might too!  In fact, that’s our prayer—that you and Jesus will show up this week!

 

 

Dress up like a giant Easter Egg, hide in your neighbors’ bushes and when they come out jump from your hiding place and yell: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  Which really bummed him out because he wasn’t able to attend Easter services at all.” (It’s kind of poetic and just might “crack” them up — bad pun intended).

Quote from memory John 18 and 19 (the section of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion) but not John 20 (the Resurrection account), then say to your friends: “If you want to hear the rest of the story you have to come to church on Sunday!”

Hide an Easter basket under the third pew on the center aisle (do not place a basket filled with candy under the first pew, I can’t promise it would still be there), then give your friend a treasure hunt type of map approximately 30 minutes before one of the services is to start and yell, “Go!”

Purchase a small airplane, take flying lessons and get a “Sky-writing-made-easy” kit then write in the sky above your neighbor’s house: “Come to church on Easter.”  (You might have had to start a little earlier than now to make this idea work).

(Speaking of airplanes) Take a lesson from United Airlines and drag your neighbors kicking and screaming to church.

Or simply say, “Hey friend, would you please join me at my church on Sunday for Easter services?”  You might be surprised at how many affirmative replies you receive.

Everyone you know needs to be in church on Easter!   So plan on getting as many friends and family to join you as possible.  There will not be a prize for the person who “fills the most pews with their friends and family,” but what a joy it is to worship the Resurrected Lord with the people you love!