It’s a holiday weekend! Churches across these great United States of America will be giving the 2nd and 3rd string a shot at making the roster while the 1st string takes a much needed and well deserved break.

Why? Well, it’s a holiday weekend. It will probably be a “low” Sunday (in attendance, maybe in spirit too, who knows?). We wouldn’t want the starters to waste their time and energy on a Sunday when we just don’t expect many people. We want to get more bang for the buck. Let’s rest the 1st string this weekend while folks are at the lake, camping, taking a short vacation to Beaver Dam, IN or just using the opportunity to catch up on house work/yard work/rest/whatever.

Of course, the 2nd and 3rd string folks have been anxiously awaiting their opportunity to step on the field. They have been sitting in the sanctuary, week after week, thinking to themselves, “I could preach circles around this dude/dudette.” And, following the service, those with a bone to pick with the starter will pull the 2nd/3rd stringer aside and say, “Wow! That was great! Much better than the regular. We need to find ways to get you out on the playing field more often.”

In some ways, we all understand the logic. We’ve all been there on those Sunday’s where half the congregation is somewhere else. We’ve experienced the disappointment of preparing what we believe to be an excellent service of worship and trying our hardest to create a sense of energy/hope/joy in a mostly empty space. So, we join in on the practice of using a holiday weekend as an opportunity to take a break. Or if we do plan worship, write a sermon, whatever…we might not give it 100%.

However, shouldn’t we consistently put out best foot forward?

Maybe we should look at holiday weekends as an opportunity to reach out to folks who normally are not able to attend our weekend services? On a holiday weekend, there is a unique opportunity to intentionally reach out to those who, on a normal weekend would be working. Maybe the factory, office, store, restaurant, warehouse, whatever will be closed and for the first time in 3 months a person has a Sunday morning “free”.

Maybe we should try harder to create a contagious desire to attend our weekend services before heading out to the beach, the holiday sale, or the thriving metropolis of Claypool, IN? What if we created something so amazing for the holiday weekend that people would desire to adjust their weekend plans in order to not miss out?

So, to all you first stringers still leading in worship this Sunday, give your best effort!

To all you second and third stringers leading in worship this Sunday, knock their socks off!

Then, after worship, let’s make plans to meet at The Bee Hive Restaurant, grab a quick bite to eat and some bait (try not to confuse the two) before spending the rest of the day fishing!