Not Just Another

If you have worked for a church for any length of time, I am sure you have heard the phrase, "Sunday is always coming". Every Sunday afternoon, you probably go home and take a nap after a long morning of services. When you wake up again on Monday, that phrase rings in your head. You start planning for next Sunday.

While this may be the nature of working for a church, it can often lead to a small issue you may not even notice. Saturday leads to "just another Sunday". Just another work day. Just another service. Just another sermon. Just another worship set. Just another.

I am a man who fully believes that words matter. The words we use can set the tone. Using the right words in the right moments. Small changes can make a big difference. Saying just another Sunday puts us in work mode. Just get it done.

But I would like to suggest a small change. What if this coming Sunday is not "just another"? What if it is a "normal Sunday". Tomorrow is a normal Sunday. No, it's not Easter or Christmas where we are pulling out all the stops. It's not Mother's Day when we are all trying to figure out how to give every Mom a flower. It is not Father's Day... (Do we do anything special for Dads? :) j/k)

We didn't pick a special worship set to lead to a big, massive moment. This isn't an event. This isn't a conference weekend. But it is not "just another" Sunday. It's a "normal" Sunday. Now you want to know what I mean. What is the difference?

I know we all have expectations on those big Sundays. We are waiting for the Chreasters to show back up and our numbers to grow. We are saying big prayers for our loved ones to give their lives to Christ at a Christmas Eve service. We are making all the big plans in hopes that the Holy Spirit shows up.

Do you not hope He shows up every week? Does the Lord only work on "special weekends"? Do you only say big prayers for the big calendar days? Or do you believe that the Holy Spirit is always at work? Can the Holy Spirit reveal Himself on a Tuesday in July just like he can on a Sunday in December?

This Sunday is a "normal" Sunday. To me, that means that the Holy Spirit is going to show up. It means I am going to bring my best today. It means I get to partner with the Spirit today. I get to do the best I can to make a clear picture of who Jesus is. It means that on this "off" week, miracles can still happen. That lives can be transformed.

There are more normal Sundays in a year than "big" ones. Every Sunday is an opportunity for us to show people who our God really is and how He can transform their lives. I have 52 Sundays a year to help someone draw closer to their savior.

Just another Sunday does not give the proper weight to what we get to do week in and week out. Just another Sunday lessens what we believe the Holy Spirit can do in the simple moments. Just another Sunday doesn't open our eyes to the daily sanctification that the Lord is working in everyone's life, including our own.

Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Every day is one that the Lord has made for us to rejoice and celebrate what He has done.

Psalm 90:12: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." Life if brief. We only have so many days in this life to make a difference. We don't want to waste a single one to the words, "just another."

Ephesians 5:15-16: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." We need to make the best use of our time and not waste the moments we are given.

So, church staffer. What are you going to do with this next Sunday? My suggestion is to bring your best. But I don't want you to hear what isn't being said. Easter... Christmas... we are going to go absolutely nuts celebrating. We do have times of the year that all the stops will be pulled out. While I will worship fully every day, we have times on the calendar set aside to specifically remember what was done for us.

I liken it to this concept. I am not going to wait for Valentine's Day to tell my wife that I love her. I am going to do that every opportunity that I get. BUT neither will I skip Valentine's Day. A holiday was created to celebrate love, so I am going to show up on that day and give it a little more umph. I am not rejecting the extra expression on the holidays. I am raising the value of the "normal" days.

Don't miss the little whispers found in a Sunday in September cause you are waiting for December. Don't skip the prompt the Spirit is giving you to invite your neighbor this weekend because "there isn't anything special happening". Don't phone in your worship because it is a normal 3 song set into announcements and giving and then the message. Elevate the special times without diminishing the normal ones.

So... I hope you have a fantastic normal Sunday this week. Where the goodness of our God is fully on display in your services and in your heart.

Make sense?