Easter Week Wrap Up

The week leading up to Easter is always huge at our church. As a staff, we plan for weeks on how to creatively engage the culture around us through the message of the Passion. This week was especially impactful as we saw the culmination of preparation meet the expectancy and it factor of Jesus. Western Reserve has been a special place for me for years. I have learned countless lessons within its walls and its people.

I am nearing a decade here in at least some capacity and this weekend that reality shook my soul. For me, Western Reserve has always been like my favorite band that hasn’t caught on yet but you fiercely fight for. You get all their albums, you wear their tees, you obnoxiously tell everyone how great they are while forcing personally curated mix cd’s into their palms. This weekend was sort of a coming out party for our church. Yes, people are fickle when it comes to church attendance, but this was more than mere numbers. This was about a movement; something palpable in the air. We within the Church would call this the “Spirit” but it was like He mended together the hearts of a united people and granted us a view of a not too distant heaven. Sitting next to some of our teens during the last service was an act of grace from the father of lights to me. Wholeheartedly worshipping, seeing the resurrection through their experience was definitely encouraging.

There have been more than a few memories here, but these last few services might just be my favorite . . . at least until the next one.