Two ladies, dressed to the hilt in their Easter finery, were making slow progress in the crowd trying to get into the entrance to the church...
Finally one of them burst out impatiently, "Now wouldn't you think that these people who do nothing but go to Church Sunday after Sunday would stay home at Easter and leave room for the rest of us."
While this is all in good humor, there is a shred of truth to this little anecdote.
And it doesn't only come from the Creasters. There is impatience on both sides when churches are standing room only on these highest of holy days.
Rather than heeding the advice of the woman in the story and staying home this Easter, why not plan to leave a few minutes early for church? Then you'll be comfortably settled in when the not-so-frequent-fliers arrive. And better able to extend a welcoming hand to the new faces around you. Who knows, the impression you leave may be the only impression that person has of what a "Christian" looks (and more importantly, acts) like over the course of an entire year.
"Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words." -- St. Francis of Assisi
3 comments:
That would be the perfect antidote to all of it: be Christ at all times in action.
Blessings,
Sarah
AMEN!
Want a guaranteed seat? Join the choir. Be an altar server, lector or Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
(My choir welcomes the choir members' whole families, on holidays or even regular days. We're family-friendly, and it has encouraged kids to sing more--and Big Brother to think about playing with our choir!)
This is a great point. It's strange how stressful the crowds can be for everyone involved. I know people who only go on Easter, and they don't like the crowds either. I wonder if it makes them feel out of place? In any case, I definitely don't want to be the person whose bad attitude prevents someone from coming the following year.
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