I have a confession to make. I used to be very jealous of other people on Easter.

They all showed up to church with their family, dressed up in pastel colors (okay, that part I was not jealous of), and then they all got to leave together to meet at someone’s house with tables set up in every single living space in the home. The meal would be the largest meal of the year, with ham, deviled eggs, potato salad, those little pears with mayonnaise in them, potato casserole, and green beans. The post-lunch activity would be hiding Easter Eggs for both the big kids and the little kids. The entire wonderful afternoon concluded with naps on the couch or in the easy chair with golf on the television.

For us on Easter, our family was scattered around the globe. We spent most of the day up at the church, and I hate mayonnaise. (Don’t get me started on mayonnaise either…)

A few years ago, Amy and I decided to start a new tradition: to be a family for other people. We started inviting people over for Easter who didn’t have their immediate family around. I love this idea, and we’ve had a lot of fun with it. When the kids were younger, we’d even include them in the Easter Egg hunt.

Let me ask you something, do you think you could do that this year?

Every week, we challenge each other at the end of the service to go “be the church.” It’s a reminder to us all that Church is not a place where we meet, but it is who we are as a people. When we live out the reality of Jesus in our homes, schools, and workplaces, what we are really doing is “churching.” THIS is being the church. So allow me to put a more practical spin on this as Easter approaches.

Who could you invite to do Easter with you this year?

Who could you invite to church then to share a meal afterward? Is it someone you’ve been having spiritual conversations with at work? Is it a neighbor that over time, you’ve joked back and forth about church and life? Is it a friend that you know is walking through a hard time and would love just a day to be encouraged and to experience the presence of Jesus?

Who has God already put in your world that you could extend an invitation to for a day that might change everything for them? The chance to hear the Gospel in a fun, safe place then unpack it over some good food?

This is being the church. Engaging people where they are, extending grace and an invitation to something more. It may be a huge challenge for you. It might be an inconvenience. But it also might just be the best day you’ve ever had. It might just be the day that changes everything for your friend.

And isn’t that exactly what Easter is? The one day that changed everything?

Take the challenge. Start a new tradition this Easter. See what God does.