Being the church, even now.

Man, this has been a tough week church. Sunday was so strange for me. I had to preach to a camera again. It was a painfully difficult decision the elders had to make to return to virtual services only right now. I have heard from several people how disappointed they are because they love the fellowship we have on Sundays and I want you to know that the we feel the same way. It is our desire to prayerfully return to in-person services as soon as we can. And, rest assured, the elders are discussing this stuff weekly, daily – with much prayer. But in the meantime – how do we stay connected as we should? 

 

I have shared with you before the great quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer when he wrote, “Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.” Bonhoeffer talks about the blessing of Christian fellowship and that we ought to thank God for each other. I read a Christian author once who said that when we neglect our Sunday fellowship, we are not only paying a disservice to ourselves but also to the rest of the church. We are meant to benefit from mutual encouragement and critique. We need each other. Which is why the writer of Hebrews implores us in Hebrews 10:25, “not to give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing.”  Indeed, scripture commands us to encourage each other, bare each other’s burdens, confess our sins to each other, confront sin in each other’s lives, weep with each other and rejoice with each other. 

 

But right now, we are not meeting physically, and many of our members, in fact, more than half were still participating from home even before we came back. So, how can we be these things to each other? 

 

We are meeting together. I know it isn’t the same, believe me, but we are gathering in a public place, studying God’s Word, worshiping God and sharing communion online every week. And we have throughout all of this. Participate in that! I know it isn’t the same and we will get back to physical meetings but in the meantime, this is how we can meet. 

 

Remain in regular contact with your group. If you have a connect group or Sunday school class or a close group of friends at church find ways to remain in communion with the church. Remember, the church is not a building it is you – wherever you are. I know of groups that get together at a home and watch the service together. I know of groups that meet virtually – via zoom or facetime. If you need help setting this up call the church – we’ll help you. If you’re not in a group, let us know we’ll help you find one.

 

Regularly communicate with your mentee or mentor. One of the big things we push at Rocklane is the importance of having someone in your life that you are regularly sharing your faith struggles with and someone whose faith you are regularly checking in on. Do you have someone like this? If so reach out to them regularly – if not, then who is someone in the faith that you trust and respect? Reach out to them and ask if you set up a regular coffee, phone, or facetime appointment.

If you’re lonely reach out to someone. If you are feeling disconnected to the church don’t take that as the church is letting you down or you just have to deal with that until the pandemic is over. Take that as a sign that you need to reach out to someone in the church and check on them. 

 

There is a real opportunity here for us to become more connected than we have ever been – having more spontaneous and spiritually deep conversations than ever before. But you have to do it. Meeting at a church building on Sunday is such an important part of our Church life – but it is not everything. We are more than that. Anytime we meet in any way in the name of Jesus we are having church. 

 

In closing, remember that there Christians who have to meet in the dark of night during the week outside in some secluded place because if people found out they were having church they would be arrested or worse. We must be grateful that we can meet in the name of Jesus in a public way and take full advantage of it. 

 

I love you church, so very much.