Easter and Black Friday

I think Easter and the day after thanksgiving, a.k.a. Black Friday, have some real similarities. Black Friday is the single biggest shopping day of the year. Shoppers hit the stores at insain hours to find the perfect gift at a perfect price. Similarly, Easter is the single biggest church attendance day of the year. Many people who don't usually go to church will go that day. Leading up to Black Friday, retailers advertize their sales on television and through the mail to get customers in the door. Leading up to Easter, churches advertize their special Easter service and prepare to receive visitors with an impressive display of hospitality and show off their services and ministries. On Black Friday stores strive to capitalize on peoples hightened interest in buying gifts for the holidays. On Easter, churches strive to capitalize on peoples interest in going to church.

What do these similarities mean? I'm not really sure, but maybe it points to churches becoming too consumer oriented. I can't see Jesus trying to convince the masses to come to his church through programs and services that meet the needs of the local families. That's just my opinion. To make disciples of Jesus we need to model the kingdom life through genuine relationships with those outside the faith. Easter services are fine and all, but they are often geared towards impressing and creating a good show, instead of an opportunity to form new relationships with new people so we can share the gospel with them.

These are just some thoughts that were going through my head yesterday.