We’re calling today OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY because it feels like we’re welcoming you into our home. You’ve seen the OPEN HOUSE yard signs for the realtors, right? You follow the arrows and then you’re ushered into a sparkling house that could be yours. The realtor isn’t changing anything—just showing you around.
That’s what we’re doing with church today.
We haven’t created a big production to try to “wow” you into loving Jesus. This is what we do every week, and we believe it’s what Christians ought to do. We worship. We pray. We sing. We obey the Bible.
We’re obviously trying to be a courteous host and put our best foot forward, but we believe that today is more about God than us. Don’t worry, we like all the conveniences of padded pews and air conditioning, but the content of the music, the physical bowing, and a Bible sermon are not “normal” parts of most people’s lives.
That’s intentional.
We believe that the old hymns reflect a depth that a lot of modern songs miss. We’re not against all new things, but we like the old stuff that’s been proven valuable through time. Many of these songs have weathered the trends, and we like that they don’t feel like today. They feel timeless.
We believe that we can worship God a lot of different ways, but when we look at Scripture, worship is most often associated with bowing. The physical posture isn’t magical, but it is impactful, so I would hate to come to a worship service and not worship God the way the Bible most often describes it—by bowing.
We believe that Bible preaching changes people’s lives, so we go verse by verse through the Scriptures. The sermon won’t feel like a motivational speech or a pump-up session. I’m convinced we need more than that, and we have seen the Bible work incredible things in families, marriages, and people’s hearts.
So, thank you for being with us today. I love you, and I want God to help you today. God bless you on this Open House Sunday!
–Pastor Ryan