The Missing Masses!

Crowds are a big deal today.  If there is a crowd, something amazing is usually happening. If you’re looking for a party at someone’s home, we know to just “look for the cars.”  Where there are cars, there’s undoubtedly a crowd!  And, crowds create curiously.  We used to play a trick of getting a group of people together and then start pointing up toward the sky and then chattering among ourselves.  Point, and chatter, point and chatter.  Every time we did this in public, people would stop, move our way and a crowd would gather and start looking up too.    

 

Some crowds are good and some are bad.  Crowds at your local surfing spot – bad.  A crowd at Disney means long lines - bad.  But, crowds at church, that’s good.  Last Sunday in every Christian church around the world, there were unusually big crowds.  Sanctuaries and sunrise waterfronts were filled with masses of people.      
 

Why do they show up in mass?  You know, Christ-mass, Easter-mass.  Traditionally in all churches the two “masses” are always the most highly mass-attended worship services of the year.  Then the next week, it’s on to the other tradition within the church: “low Sunday.” 

 

If it was crowded last week it must have meant something really good must have been happening within.  Maybe some just saw the cars and turned into the church parking lot to check it all out.  But the following Sunday, we’re missing the masses.  What happened?  Did Elvis, I mean Jesus, leave the building?

 

What should the church do?  Offer discounts for membership on mass-less Sunday’s?  O darn, I forgot, we don’t charge for that!  Maybe the church could bring in a top celebrity for a book signing?  The Holy Spirit always needs a little exposure.  I know there are always crowds when the lottery gets really big.  Maybe we hold a lottery for an all expense paid trip to the Holy land or the pastor’s back yard pool?  I guess the church could try the chatter and look up tick to see if people might crowd around to see “it” for themselves!  There must be some way to get the crowds back?

 

Jesus had crowds, giant life-hungry crowds. And, they kept coming back even when there wasn’t a live band, good parking, or hot food.  Maybe we are missing something?  If you want to know the secret to having masses of crowds who engage an authentic life through Jesus, join us this Sunday when we explore The Missing Masses!