Religious practice may change, but God’s love remains eternal
For God so loved the world, that God gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
— John 3:16, New International Version
He has risen! Risen indeed! Happy Easter Everyone! If you are not aware or need a refresher, Easter is the Sunday that Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son. It is the day when Jesus followers around the world stop, and in awe, give God thanks.
Easter doesn’t just happen. The week leading up to Easter Sunday is spent remembering Jesus triumphant walk into Jerusalem known as Palm Sunday. During Holy Week we recall the Upper Room happenings, the Garden of Gethsemane, the journey to the cross. It is an emotional week filled with betrayal, death, grief leading us to witness the amazing sacrifice of Jesus and the love of God. Eternal life, Heaven is now open to us! Easter is the day to blow the trumpets, sing praises and feel joy.
The Easters of my childhood were celebrated a bit differently than today. Businesses were closed. Families ate together at a special meal. Easter worship was mandatory for all followers of Jesus whether you worshipped at sunrise services or later in the morning or both. One thing was certain, You were in church! It also meant new suits, pretty dresses, and Easter bonnets! So much has changed but the Easter message will never change. Jesus, the son of God died for our sins so that we might have life eternal. God’s love for humanity was greater than anything we could ever have imagined.
Over the decades, how we recognize and celebrate Easter has evolved. Some of us enjoy change and others resist. Whatever is your preference, the truth is, change is going to happen. Change is the way of life. I think often of the passage where it says that God is doing a new thing in our midst, now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19
In a time when church attendance has been decreasing in all denominations, God is continuing to be visible in many ways.
The last six months or so I have been part of a ministry I would once have considered to be inconceivable. I am helping a congregation to close. After 133 years, St. John’s, UCC Coopersburg voted to have their last worship service on April 28, 2024. This congregation has had many important ministries including the raising of over a million dollars to help community members with their medical debt. Currently the membership is low in numbers and mostly older, yet faithful individuals.
Completing a ministry is painful but it can also be an opportunity. It can be a resurrection story. One needs to have faith and know that God shows up!
After the congregational vote to close, the next concern was the church building. Should it be sold? Given away? After prayer, discernment and witnessing God’s activity in their midst, St. John’s is donating the church building to become the Coopersburg Multi-Purpose Community Center. The vision is for the church building to continue with Senior lunches, to host a food pantry, arts center and much more. The building will be available for local artists, concerts, weddings, funerals, parties and community members.
It has been hard to see the decline in the traditional concept of church. But, church is about people. You don’t need a building to be the church.
Many congregations originally began with people meeting in each other’s living rooms. We never fully know what great things will come when
God is in our midst doing a new thing. What we do know is that it may be painful to see a church close, but it can also be comforting and a bit exciting to see a building resurrect from one ministry into another.
Easter is about resurrection and new life. I hope and pray many congregations will see amazing growth in numbers and especially in faith. But as some churches decline and concerns for the faith get raised we need to remember, God is doing a new thing in our midst. I hope you can be part of it. Happy Easter! He has risen! Indeed!