Think Like A Preacher

Hello Emmanuel,

The sermon series this Lent got a lot of attention… well.. more so than usual.  For a church to put ‘poo’ on their sign was a tolerant sort of taboo.  It certainly created curiosity and discussion.  And maybe it did a small part of bringing us out of the worse-than-usual winter that was blah for many people.

So now Easter is on its way.  A new sermon series starts April 20^th and the pressure is on.  How do you transition from the poo of Lent to the resurrection of Easter?  What possible name of an Easter sermon series can one come up with to rival the one we just had?  This isn’t a rhetorical question.  I want to know.

So send me your ideas for an Easter sermon series title at pastorjoe@emmanuel-umc.com.  I’m curious as to how creative you can be.  I may use it… or not… or it may spark something else entirely.  Unlike other times of the year, Easter is more narrowly defined.  It’s about life and resurrection and new beginnings and hope for a better future—a better existence.  There are also 7 Sundays of Easter, in case that helps.  Keep in mind, I just want ideas for a title… no need to write a sermon.

And if you are one that wants to be a smarty pants and send ideas that you think I’ll never use, go ahead.  Just be forewarned that I may use it and give you all the ‘credit’ for it… unless it turns out great, in which case I’ll take at least a little bit of the credit.

Why do I want your ideas?  Other than I have writers block?  I’ve never tried this before.  Consider it an attempt to put a wrinkle in the season and keep out of ruts.  But I also believe one should always foster ideas of community.  While I, as pastor, am inevitably responsible for the proclamation of the Word, why not think outside the box.  So send me your ideas.  If I regret it, I’ll not do it again… haha….

In the meantime, I encourage you to enjoy the upcoming season.  Yes, we need 6,000 more eggs filled with candy.  And, yes, we are not yet done making the chocolate eggs.  However, the process of getting ready to engage the community with Good News should be an exciting time of anticipation and celebration.  I, for one, can’t wait.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe