The Extraordinary Grace of Ordinary Sundays

It's been a long day for me, but that's not a complaint. Sundays are always long.

I had two slices of toast and a big glass of water while I did the wordle with my sons, took a quick shower, grabbed my briefcase which I packed Saturday night, and headed out the door. The usual folks were at church today (something I am always thankful for). A few of our regulars were out sick.

We had a guest speaker, Brother Brian Starre, who is always a blessing. His wife played the cello. A few visitors showed up. We had some out of town friends pop in.

My wife made chipotle style beef barbacoa for church lunch today, there was some leftover potato salad from Saturday's baby shower in the church fridge, and Mrs. Starre brought some delicious cake. A good number of people hung out, chatted, ate together, and fellowshipped.

We had our 2 O'clock prayer meeting and spent time with a few families afterward. We came home, freshened up, and I took a group of four young men with me to a men's center to preach at 6 pm. We've been going through the sermon on the mount together and tonight, we talked about how to pray, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." One of the young men led the singing and the others passed out Bibles and pens and worksheets.

Afterward, we ran back to the church to grab a cell phone that had been left behind before we gobbled up some Raising Cane's and spent time feasting and laughing together. Eventually, I got back home and watched a show with my family that everyone had been anxious to see.

Now, it's 12:33 AM (Monday morning). I'm due at work (my bi-vocation) at 8 in the morning. And, I have to ask myself, "Why in the world aren't I in bed?!"

The simple answer is, today was my eighth anniversary at Emmanuel and it was just a normal day! No noisemakers, streamers, fireworks, or piñatas... and my cup is flowing over! In fact, as I sit and review the day, I am blown away by the extraordinary grace of ordinary Sundays.

At Emmanuel, we generally don't have large or special Sundays. Sure, we love to make a big deal about Easter, Christmas, Pentecost, and other special times in Church history. But, we believe there is nothing bigger than the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and we celebrate that on the first day of every week.

I think, in some Christian traditions, seeking for amazing and miraculous things is promoted. But, from my understanding of the Bible, every day is amazing and miraculous if it's a day that sinners are looking to Jesus for salvation, loving God with all of their hearts, and loving their neighbors as Jesus loved them.

When the author of Hebrews said, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25), I don't suppose he was meaning to just gather for large days or significant celebrations on the church calendar.

Rather, he was speaking about the importance of regular gatherings for the normal things we do in our worship: singing, reading the scripture, hearing the preaching of the word, the offering of prayers, the Lord's table, baptism, and fellowship. Those normal things really represent extraordinary grace.

It can be easy for pastors to think there is some silver bullet that's going to get the job done. Church-growth gurus seek to sell their vision of what makes churches score a touchdown every Sunday, but it's all snake oil!

The work of the kingdom is more like a seed going into the earth that needs to sink down in the soil, die, resurrect, take root, break through, grow for a season, and then produce fruit. Back to the football analogy, not every Sunday is going to be a touchdown. But, if we gather, worship, and love and edify one another, then we have moved the ball down the field closer to the goal.

I don't remember where I read the quote, but I'm pretty sure it was Matthew Henry who said, "Men are often like children. They would sow and reap in the same day."

Let us not be men who are like children. Let us be men who are like our Savior. We sow, water, and wait.

Occasionally, we reap from other men's work, occasionally from our own. Occasionally, other men reap from our work. But the increase is from the Lord and there is joy in serving him!

I have read that most men don't make it five years in their churches. That's a shame.

I'm thankful for the folks at Emmanuel because they have made the past eight years a breeze! And, if any of our members are reading this, I wouldn't complain about a piñata on my ninth anniversary! haha!

But, seriously, I'm very grateful that the Lord has opened my eyes to the grace of ordinary Sundays. They are the stuff that eternity is made of and I'm excited for more. Not just eight years or even eighty more, but an eternity spent enjoying the extraordinary grace of these ordinary things.

Warm Regards,

Matthias Knopp