Worship now; beat the Easter rush!

When I was growing up, my father was a chaplain in the U.S. Army. Each Sunday after my Dad preached, I proudly stood by his side at the door as he shook hands with people who were leaving. I would count how many people came out the door, and then give him a report when we got home. I'll never forget the count one Easter at an Army post in Germany. On Palm Sunday I counted 175, but on Easter Sunday I counted 500! Dad said, "the regular folks were lost amongst the visitors." Then the Sunday after Easter, I counted 175 again. I didn't understand it then, and even today as a 50-year-old preacher I still don't understand it-- if people really believe Jesus arose from the dead, then why don't they rise from the bed on more Sundays than just Easter to come to church?

A church had on its marquee the week before Palm Sunday: "Beat the Easter rush. Come to church this Sunday!"

I heard a story that makes the same point. It was Palm Sunday and, because of a sore throat, 5-year-old Johnny stayed home from church with a sitter. When the family returned home, they were carrying several palm branches. The boy asked what the branches were for.

"People held them over Jesus' head as He walked by," they explained.

"Wouldn't you know it," the boy fumed. "The one Sunday I don't go, He shows up!"

While this story is fictional, it teaches a truth. Jesus might just show up some Sunday when you least expect Him. Don't you want to be there when His presence is felt in power at your church?

The Bible says that one of the disciples, Thomas, was absent when Christ appeared to them on the evening of that first Easter, and Thomas missed seeing Jesus. Thankfully, he was there the next week when Christ appeared again, and he saw the Lord (John 20:19-29). So don't wait until Easter to worship; you never know who might show up this Sunday!

Copyright 2008 by Bob Rogers.

Song of Solomon good for Valentine's, but quote the right verse!

It's Valentine's Day, when everybody talks about love. However, some of us fail to communicate.

A cake decorator in New Zealand was asked to include the reference to a Bible verse on the couple’s wedding cake. They requested 1 John 4:18 because it states, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” Unfortunately, the cake decorator wasn’t a Bible scholar so the cake ended up with a reference to John’s gospel instead of his epistle. In beautiful print was “John 4:18.” Had the decorator taken time to look up the verse this error would have been detected before the wedding. “You have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.”

I heard about a man who was feeling bad that he had not been romantic. So he decided to show up at his door with a coat and tie and give his wife flowers. He rang the doorbell, and when she answered, there he was in all his glory, as he handed her a dozen roses. To his surprise, she sat down in the doorway and just cried.

"What's wrong, honey?" he asked.

She replied, "This has been a terrible day. Rachel came home from school sick, Daniel broke a window with his baseball, the microwave won't work, and now you come home drunk!"

Even though our attempts are communicating love can sometimes be misunderstood, we should still make every effort to express our love. The Bible has an entire book, Song of Solomon, that is dedicated to the celebration of romance between a husband and wife. I know a fellow who often reads verses from the Song of Solomon to his wife. Not a bad idea. Just make sure that you read the right verse. Song of Solomon 4:9 would work: "You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes." But you don't want to read to her from Song of Solomon 7:4: "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus."

Make sure you communicate your love clearly.

Copyright 2008 by Bob Rogers.