Thankfulness. It’s something that we’ve heard a lot about in the last couple of weeks. Thanksgiving was last week, and we tend to be a bit more reflective on what we are thankful for during this time of the year. It’s a very strange dichotomy, though, that within 24 hours, we talk about being thankful for all that we have, and then people go crazy trying to get more stuff. Of course, I’m talking about Black Friday.
Stores prepare all year for the Friday after Thanksgiving because that’s when people start to realize that Christmas isn’t that far away. The deals get better; the anticipation rises. People get the ads ahead of time and chart their course through a sea of savings. Strategy, planning and getting up ridiculously early (or staying up really late) is the name of the game.
Now, of course, in my weird way of looking at the world, I have to wonder – what do we do as a church that gets people so excited about what’s going on? When was the last time that you looked forward to Sunday morning worship in the same way that shoppers look forward to Black Friday?
It’s a shame, really. We live in a nation that goes crazy to save a couple hundred dollars, but isn’t all that interested in saving a soul. So, what can we do to share the good news of Jesus Christ? What can we do to get people excited about worshiping an awesome God? Well, it starts with you. Are you excited about worship? Are you excited about sharing the good news? It has to start somewhere, right?
Pastor Swish - Life, Ministry, and Other Stuff 
What gets me excited about worship is really provocative ideas about learning and then serving others in interesting ways. For example, I like thinking about the Bible stories in new ways and how it actually applies to my life. And I like serving others in real ways like micro enterprise efforts inSouth America, along with things we can do in Johnson Co. I like it when we give specific items to the food bank and we can actually see the items build up on the altar. And it is always exciting to me when we build up to holidays, look forward to Christmas Eve, Easter etc.
I am excited about finding something new in the Bible that I never thought of before. And there is no doubt that I truly enjoy the people in our church whether I agree with them or not.