Dear Rose Park,
Have you noticed the past few Sunday’s we have been blessed with some new faces in worship? With Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday not too far removed and the addition of an increase of vaccinations, we have had some visitors joining us in worship. It is such a blessing to see new faces; whether they are families from other towns, siblings who have come home, new residents who have moved to Holland, or even church members who are feeling more comfortable gathering in larger groups we are certainly blessed as a Church family to welcome new families and individuals to worship.
However, I hope we are doing more than simply welcoming them to worship. Though the wave and smile are certainly hospitable and appropriate, I hope we are doing more than merely welcoming them to worship for appearance sake. In other words, I hope we aren’t being hospitable just so they’ll attend worship – I hope we are being hospitable because it’s the Christ-like thing to do and we earnestly hope and pray that lives will be turned towards Jesus.
This whole concept brings me to The Worship Sourcebook. This is a prized resource for ministers and worship leaders to effectively bring different liturgies and concepts into worship. For example, hear these good words as an opening address at the beginning of worship:
If you are spiritually weary and in search of rest, if you are mourning and you long for comfort, if you are struggling and you desire victory, if you recognize that you are a sinner and need a Savior, God welcomes you here in the name of Christ. To the stranger in need of fellowship, to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to whoever will come, this congregation opens wide its doors and welcomes all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This pretty much covers everyone. We are all in need of rest, comfort, and victory. We all need a Savior. We all need fellowship. We all thirst for righteousness. We all need to be welcomed, not for church attendance sake, but for the fellowship of Christ and of the Church. We all need the doors of the Church to open wide and welcome us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope you feel this way when you come to worship. I hope you feel as if the doors open wide for you. I hope we at Rose Park can help others to feel this way in worship. No matter if you are weary, mourning, struggling, or filled to the brim with sin I hope you experience the doors of the Church open wide to welcome you and the arms of the Church spread wide to embrace you.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark