This was my first Easter weekend pastoring two churches. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. On Wednesday afternoon, I remember thinking that I was looking forward to the weekend being over. I was starting to feel sick and knew that it was going to be tough to get through to Monday with a cold. Fortunately, I shook off the negative attitude, because it turned out to be an incredible weekend!
Thursday
Thursday night was the kickoff. I couldn’t believe the crowd and the enthusiasm of everyone. It seemed like one of our largest crowds yet. In fact, I was surprised when I was told the attendance numbers (I still think they were off — there were more people than we counted). I got right into the message. The problem was, my voice got weaker the more I preached. Halfway through, someone brought me up a bottle of water to help me out, but I still struggled. I laughed listening to the message afterward, you can hear me struggle to speak for the last half of the talk. (If you want to watch the Bikers’ Church version of the message, go here.)
Friday
On Friday I attended “The Way of the Cross”. Since it was my first year participating in this event, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was amazing. I loved gathering with a half dozen other churches from the Vanier area.
The crowd was a little disappointing (I guess I was expecting about double the people who showed up), but for those who attended, it was a great chance to get to know one another.
We walked around Vanier, stopping at key places to pray for specific needs. Members of each church were given the opportunity to lead in prayer. As well, we carried a large cross, and people could volunteer to carry the cross for part of the walk.
My favourite part of the day was when a couple of the young people from one of the two churches I pastor took the cross and led in the prayer. It was so great seeing them participate and own the meaning of Easter for themselves.
Sunday
Last Sunday, I warned the City Church people that they were going to see me like they’ve never seen me before. True to my word, I came dressed in a new suit. I even asked the Worship Team to dress up. It was fun having the leadership team all fancied up to celebrate Easter Sunday.
Having said that, it was a pain trying to preach in a suit! I’m so glad that my normal Sunday outfit consists of jeans and a casual shirt. While I used to wear a suit every Sunday, I have to admit, I don’t miss those days.
I was sure my voice was going to go the way of Thursday night, but fortunately, it held out long enough to get through the message. If you want to watch the City Church version, go here.
It was a packed house on Sunday morning. We had some of the Bikers’ Church family attend, but we also had a number of new people. One person shared with me how their old neighbours emailed them out of the blue and asked where they went to church. They came out for the first time and enjoyed it. There were a number of new faces and I’m praying that many of them will be back next week.
Once the service was over, I headed home to welcome Heather’s parents from Deseronto. Along with her brother, her parents came down Sunday afternoon to enjoy Easter dinner with us. Sometimes there is nothing quite like kicking back with family and spending time just enjoying one another.
So, it was a great weekend. We celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends. And we loved seeing people touched with the message of God’s grace for the first time.
Buckle up folks, I have a feeling this year is just kicking into the next gear!
