Serving in light of Easter

Two of the highest attended days of the year in churches across America are coming in the next two months.

The first is Easter. The second is Mother's Day.

As we approach Easter, we should be constantly reminded of the incredible sacrifice God made for each of us. And as we approach two of the most highly attended days of the church calendar, we should be reminded that every single one of those first-time guests has a story. They have a past full of hurts, sorrows, victories, losses, disappointments, and joys. And we have the unique opportunity through the local church to give them the hope for their future found only in Christ. It was for each of those people that Jesus gave his life and it is for each of those people that we serve!

With those two realities in mind, now is a great time to step up your serving in the local church. The local church serves as the foundation for the work that God is doing in the world, as it is the body, hands, and feet of Christ. And lending an extra hand in this busy season helps move the ministry of Northridge further faster!

So whether you already serve regularly, or you've never served before, there is always a next step to take to look and act more like Jesus by serving with all your heart.

Here are a few things you might consider (not all apply to everyone):

• Try out a new area of serving. If you've never served before, reach out to a ministry and see how you can serve one time to see if it's a good fit. Those of you who already serve, you might find an additional area where you can lend a hand.
• Encourage your leaders. Wherever you serve, remember that the leaders you serve with have been tasked with equipping you for ministry (Ephesians 4). Take a moment to send them a text or an email and let them know you appreciate their hard work. You might even offer to help shoulder some of the load for them by accepting more responsibility in the areas you serve!
• Upgrade your serving. If you serve once a month or every two weeks, ask to increase your serving regularity. Would you consider serving weekly? Many at Northridge already serve with an "Attend One, Serve" one mentality, where you attend a service and serve during a service every single week.
• Look for projects for your group. Serving together with your community group gives you ways to serve beyond Sunday morning. Northridge is always looking for help with projects (stuffing envelopes, cleaning out closets, washing trailers, tabulating surveys, etc).

Christ's service to us was infinite and for eternity. So as we approach Easter, lets try to mirror the ultimate servant by serving more ourselves!