What do you do when the place you’ve gone to most for spiritual comfort, strength, and community, is no longer an option? Or, at least physically not an option?

That is what many of my friends and church-goers across our country have been asking and struggling with these past four months. The restrictions of many States, have prohibited their usual gatherings. But where some churches and their staffs have taken social distancing seriously, and have engaged in mental gymnastics trying to continue to serve their congregations, many aren’t having it. 

They’ve said the restrictions are persecuting them for their beliefs.

That they are taking away their rights.

Only these arguments make me feel like perhaps we’ve lost the plot. That after years of Sunday attendance, those who claim to know Jesus and value the church, have somehow acquired such a small understanding of both. Maybe it’s because the American church has done a fantastic job of putting on meaningful services every Sunday. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that we call our Sunday morning gatherings a “service” to begin with. 

Maybe people have begun to think church is a service for them.

When it’s clear in the New Testament, the Church* is the people, not the place. This means that our life as the Church is not limited to our corporate gatherings. Jesus said, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20).” In other words, as powerful as it is to gather with one’s congregation—the same Power of God is there when we meet in smaller groups. Even when, those gatherings are online. 

As powerful as it is to gather with one’s congregation—the same Power of God is there when we meet in smaller groups. Even when, those gatherings are online.

When I was in full-time youth ministry, a scripture passage that we came back to over and over was Acts 2:42-47. We wanted to create a strong sense of community for our students. And the description of the early Church we find in this passage defines Church and community way beyond what we know in our North American culture. 

At that time, the Church was committed to learning, growing, and eating together. They also sold their own belongings for those in the church who were in need. Only, they didn’t do this in one centralized building, all together, all the time. They met in each other’s homes. They were the Church everyday, each time they were together, not just on the Sabbath. 

Since that time, church has morphed and changed, but the weekly corporate gatherings seem to be the lasting theme across denominations and traditions. Sunday morning services have been an attempt to keep the seventh day sacred. But as our lives have become busier and busier, we’ve cut out many of the meaningful ways we get to be the Church everyday. We’ve lost the deeper, daily interactions with each other. This makes (temporarily) losing our corporate gatherings feel like the last straw. 

Only, in this time of the Pandemic, I have so much hope for the Church.

So many people who claim to be Christians are up in arms about not being able to be the Church right now, when all I see— outside the church—is opportunity. During this time we can show the self-sacrificial love of Christ by wearing a mask in public places, donating time or money to food banks, and having virtual meet-ups with our friends to pray for each other and our communities. We can even call our churches and ask them how we can reach out to those who are especially isolated during this time. The ways to be the Church are endless.

If we fixate on what is (temporarily) being “taken away” from us, we may miss out on what we’ve been missing all along—a chance to BE the Church everyday.

Have you been struggling with not going to church regularly because of COVID?

How could you be the Church in your home and neighborhood?

*for the sake of this post, “church” will refer to the building or organization. While, “Church,” capital “C,” will refer to God’s people.

 

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Photo by Joshua Eckstein on Unsplash