Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Desiring and Planning to Return to Church During COVID

For much of history, gathering to worship God with other Christians has been a challenge. There are always things which seem like "good" reasons to avoid gathering to worship. 

Most often, persecution has made it difficult. In the Roman empire, Christianity was not encouraged (to say the least) by the government.  Gathering to worship God could easily bring persecution (see Hebrews 11:35-38) and ostracization from society (John 9:22). The same is true in much of the world today (N. Korea, China, etc.).

Add to that our own sin nature which makes us difficult to get along with. It is hard to gather with fellow sinners (Phil. 4:2, 2:1-5). 

In addition to being sinners, in the modern American context, we also compete against our desire for ease and comfort. Much of life is easy. Much of life is aimed at meeting consumer desires. It is easy to slip into seeing the church as a commodity and to desire convenience. 

Add to these “common” experiences a global pandemic, which gives us a mysterious fear (mysterious because we didn’t know much about how bad it would be and faced conflicting information). Mix in technology which makes it more comfortable and safe to watch a worship service at home.  The result is that it might be hard for many to overcome the inertia of the moment and move towards gathering for Christian worship.

I want to offer some pastoral counsel to those that are finding it hard to envision returning to worship. Over the next few posts, I plan to address a few issues that you might be facing as you seek to honor God in the decisions you must make. In today’s post, it is sufficient to say, “We need to desire to be with God’s people, and we need to plan for it.” 

Why We Need to Desire to be with God's People

Before getting to my reasoning, let me provide a caveat.  There are certainly times where gathering, in God’s providence, is temporarily suspended. For example, in Acts, when persecution broke out, many had to flee. Maybe they couldn’t gather immediately with “the church,” but I am sure they desired it and planned for it. Other examples include a temporary suspension of church gatherings during the 1918 flu. It is important to note that God brought such circumstances. The people didn’t simply decide they would not meet during normal circumstances. However, even in such extraordinary times, there should be a desire and laboring towards being able to gather again.

So, why should we desire to gather for worship in the face of a pandemic? 

First, it is intrinsic to who God made us to be as Christians. The word “church” refers to a gathering of God’s people that he called to himself. More than that, the church is described as the family of God. It is inherent in a good family to want to be together and love one another. (see Pastor Rod's sermon  from last Sunday for a more in-depth treatment of these things).

Second, we have an external reason. We should want to gather to obey God’s command. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us not to “forsake” assembling. Why say it that way? Why not just say, “Meet together every week”? I don’t know all the reasons, but one reason is that there are times we can’t gather (illness, inability to be mobile). To forsake, on the other hand, refers to letting other things become more important than gathering. For example, a kid’s travel team could be a way that we find ourselves pulled towards forsaking assembling. The point is, God commands us not to forsake gathering with other believers for worship and encouragement (Note: He is speaking to a church body in Hebrews, so this isn’t just a call to grab coffee occasionally with a few Christian friends. It is a call to gather with the body).

Third, we should want to gather because gathering in worship and fellowship should stir us up to love God and serve others. Christians find joy in our relationship with God and in serving him and others. Hebrews 10:24-25 says this happens as we gather. Furthermore, the “one another” commands of the New Testament (a way to show our love for God and others) require some sort of gathering with God’s people.

So, we should desire to gather, and we need to plan for it. I am not saying each person can or should come back immediately.1 But, each one should desire to return as soon as possible and plan for such a return.

Why plan to return?

The reason I say plan to return is that planning is what manifests our desire. It’s not merely saying, “I want to run in the marathon,” that proves desire. It is signing up for the race and doing the training needed (in our case preparing the heart and mind to think biblically). To put it another way, a young man can say he loves a young woman, but if he never makes plans to marry her, it calls his desire into question. Even if the event must be postponed due to God’s providence, there is a desire that leads to some sort of planning and hoping.

My next posts, Lord willing, will address some issues that you might find yourself facing as you begin this process of planning to return to corporate worship. Many of these I have encountered in my own heart. So, if you find one applies to you, take heart, for you are not alone.

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1 It may be that you are in a situation in which you need to wait for more information. Or perhaps you are very elderly and a shut-in. Let me encourage you to express your desire to be with God’s people by finding as many ways as you can to contact other members in the church and by faithfully praying for your fellow members. And, keep live streaming the services. Furthermore, consider asking for a pastor to call you to check in on you occasionally.

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