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Woburn

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35 Olympia Avenue
Woburn, MA 01801

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Sunday 8:30 AM

Sunday 10:00 AM

Sunday 11:30 AM

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North Shore

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North Beverly Elementary School | 48 Putnam St.
Beverly, MA 01915

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Sunday 10:00 AM

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Thanks For Coming

by Michael Davis on April 25, 2016

I’m guessing these three words are heard by hundreds of thousands of people around the globe at some point in a weekend worship gathering.  Whether it’s said by the worship leader, the host, or the pastor, at some point when the church gathers, someone will inevitably say these three words.

I say it every Sunday when GENESIS gathers for worship.  Even if it’s already been said by someone else.  Without fail, before I begin with the message, or share a few announcements I will always say “Thanks for coming!”

It’s certainly a nice thing to say, but that’s not the only reason why I say it.  For me, there is a lot packed into those three words.

TRUST.

When I say “Thanks for coming!”, I’m also saying thanks for trusting us.  Trusting us enough at least to show up.  People don’t come to a weekend worship gathering baggage-free.  Everyone comes with a past.  For some, they have been hurt deeply by the church, whether by a leader in the church or a church-going person.  For others, they’ve never been to church because they’ve never been invited.  So when they enter, they’re just hoping someone will be nice to them, or at least say hello.  Still others come with questions, doubts, fears, hopes, insecurities, and anxieties to varying degrees.  Ultimately, people are looking to God for comfort, answers, and encouragement, but they are trusting us not to lead them astray… to not hurt them but hopefully help them.

The list of things that people come to church with could be much longer, but when I say ‘Thanks for coming!’, I’m saying 'Thank you for trusting us… trusting us with who you are and where you are.'

OPPORTUNITY.

When I say “Thanks for coming!”, I’m also saying 'Thanks for giving us the opportunity to come alongside you… to serve you… to love you… to get to know you.' Every person that comes to a GENESIS gathering is a gift from God.  Whether it’s their first time or they’ve been coming for years, every person that God allows us to meet is another soul we have the opportunity to demonstrate God’s amazing love to.  For every person that comes, God is giving us the opportunity to love as He has loved us… and as we do that, we get to experience even more of God’s great love poured out for all of us.

INVITATION.

When I say “Thanks for coming!”, I’m also saying thanks to God.  Every person that comes reminds me that God’s invitation to know Him, to walk with Him, to be used by Him is not just for some people, but for ALL people.  Every person has a story, but when we all gather together, I am reminded that God is inviting ALL of us to be part of His story.  And the beauty of His story is that it’s NOT limited to a seventy-minute window on a Sunday morning.  His Story is so much more compelling, inspiring, and lasting than any story we could ever create on our own.  Gathering all together is such a beautiful picture that His story is not about me or you, but about Him… and by His amazing grace, we get to be part of it.

Three simple words, but they say so much.  So when you next hear those words from me, please know that what I'm saying is that I am thankful that you are trusting us and that you are giving us an amazing opportunity to come alongside you. Most importantly, I'm thanking God for gathering so many to be part of His unfolding eternal epic.