On Easter Sunday our new church plant enjoyed the typical lilies, Up From The Grave He Arose, and beautiful weather. We also enjoyed the atypical: a baptism of a 14-year-old who came to know the Lord by picking up a children’s Bible, an outdoor Walk Thru Easter Story with the children (we’ve got 15 acres and we’re using every inch of it), and one service in English, one service in Spanish, and another service in Swahili all happening at the same time on campus.

Community is in our name!

For the Children’s Moment I read from 1 Corinthians 15, “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures and that He appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve (His closest buddies). After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living (they are telling the world ‘cuz they were there)….” The Christian faith is based on an historical fact. This really happened!

I followed it up with, “Knowing Jesus appeared to more than 500, an historical fact, what if we left more than 500 little Jesuses wherever we are going to be over the next 50 days?” We do not serve a little Jesus, but as Christians we should be leaving a little Jesus everywhere we go.”

I challenged the littles and bigs to take a few to leave at school, at restaurants, at the ball field, at the gymnastics gym, at the scout hut, etc. Wherever they were, I asked if they would be up for leaving a little Jesus everywhere they went? They were enthusiastically up for the challenge.

Using more than 500 mini Jesuses, our Ambassadors (4th & 5th grade leadership team) were at the exit to ‘share a little Jesus’ with everyone who wanted one, or a handful, at the end of the service.

With folks traveling for Spring Break the following week, these little guys were left all over the place. Social media has been filled with pictures of food servers, grandchildren, neighbor’s mailboxes, frisbee golf locations, laundromats, grocery stores, and the Rocky Mountains. Setting it up in a public space we’re given the opportunity to share the many miracles on Macland that have happened by God’s grace and leading. We’ve got stories and this little guy can get the conversations started.

Some have set him up at home or the office. Sometimes we all need a visual reminder to prompt us to pray, “You are with me and I am so grateful, Lord!”. 

Some ‘brothers and sisters’ have started conversations and shared these little Jesuses leaving the Holy Spirit to follow to do the work of bringing the lost to Him by starting conversations. 

We’ll be leaving a little Jesus everywhere we go. The 525 went so fast, I’ve ordered another 200.

John Wesley claimed the world as his parish. True to our Wesleyan roots, community is in our name.

“He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 2:14