He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!
If our social principles allowed gambling I would bet $5 that this phrase will be heard in practically every United Methodist Church on Sunday. I thought it was required in the Book of Discipline but I can’t seem to find it.
But there is another phrase that should also be heard:
Y’all come back.
Make sure you invite them back. Say the words. Tell them you’d like to have them come back to church.
Sure, the invitation to return is, we think, inherent in our welcoming.
But have it come out of your mouth.
If you want, you can be snide about it, “And for those of you who only bother to come to church on Christmas and Easter, you know, we are open the other 51 weeks of the year.”
Maybe that will work.
But what I bet would work is along the lines of, “This morning we celebrate a risen Christ. We celebrate that he not only died for our sins but opened the gates of Paradise. We celebrate that his sacrifice allows us to be freed from our sins, to be forgiven whether or not we think we are worthy, and that our loving and grace-filled God waits with open arms to hug us and love us and have us be part of his Kingdom. We celebrate that every Sunday and we would love for you to come back and celebrate that with us.”
As they say, that’ll sell in Peoria.
Right on the money, Brian Sheetz! Happy Easter, and a Happy 52 Weeks of the year!