In this period of COVID-19 the world is certainly being stretched and strained in all kinds of ways.I'm not just talking about the sadness of deaths and the strain on ICU departments in hospitals in places such as New York and the devastation in places like Ecuador, and the unemployment rises around the globe as communities 'lockdown', which is all very real and terrible. But rather, I'm referring to the additional 'stretching' on everyone having to develop new ways of 'living'. There is much being written about how to cope, how it will change our lives, what it means for the future, what it means for the church, how the church should respond etc etc.
And as we here in Botswana have moved from being virus 'aware' to nationwide restrictions and then to 'lockdown' with even permits needed to go out of our homes, I am caused to reflect even further.
In some ways, while others are stressing out about movement restrictions or having to work from home or not being able to go to restaurants or movies or even Sunday worship service at church, I am not finding it a change much at all. We 'work' from home, and my mobility issues mean I just cannot get out and about much. I have more than once gone over 3 months without leaving the plot I live on. I rarely manage to get to church.
But as I read what is being written on news articles, and blogs, I am left in no doubt at all, that:
in the midst of all the upheaval in life and the threats of the Coronavirus, God is at work.
The events are certainly prodding humans to think in new ways, to re-order their lives, to re-assess their priorities and being forced to make choices about life that they would possibly not otherwise be inclined to make or even think about!
But not only is humanity in general - across the whole world, being forced to re-think life with many seriously considering God and eternity for the first time, but the church—Christians—are being awakened to think about their lives and ministry and relationship with their Creator and Savior in new ways.
So what might be some of those new ways???????….
1.- We could be being challenged to think more about being the church not just 'going to church'.
It is SOOO wonderful to see so many churches thinking of ways to be the church in new creative ways as much as they can.
I was sent a little video produced by some Aussies, about how in this time the church is learning to be the church, not just 'do' church.
This is a perceptive statement.
Yet, some folks seem to be very concerned about the church during this time. I read a blog that was concerned about how 'church' over technology (such as YouTube or Zoom etc) is a 'Claytons' (substitute) church - not the real thing. I think I understand what he was trying to say. It's not what we are used to. Live-streaming has its limitations. There is a lack of enjoying each other's full fellowship through a shared physical presence and interaction.
But I think there is more to consider on this.
What is 'Church'?
Whether we are in the USA, UK, Australia, Asia, Europe or in Africa, we are apt to forget that the 'church' is not defined by an occasion/s in the week of THE gathering, rather the church GATHERS. Or should I rather say, the members of Christ's body—the church who share a local area, gather together. We don't become the church when we turn up to a building with a sign saying 'church' - in fact we don't even need a building - the 'gathering' might be under a tree in the African bush!. We might say we 'go to church' (for want of a better phrase), but if there is any truth in that, it is not the place or the building we go to, but the people. It is a local gathering that forms a local church, which is part of the the full church across the full global extent of believers past, present and future.
Technically, when the people all drive or walk out of the 'church' grounds after Sunday Service, the church is no longer there. All that remains is a building - a property that belongs to the local church members.
Maybe this time is prompting us to think about our understanding of what 'church' actually is. Maybe the deeper issue, is not that we don't have 'church', but that we have for too long lived with some wrong assumptions of what 'church' really involves.
So is 'church' over the internet just a Claytons substitute and not 'real' church'?
If your definition of church is a building that fills with people once a week for an hour or so, then yes, church over the internet, phone calls, whatsapp messages, and emails etc is not the real thing. But the church has not at all stopped being the church. The church may have paused in the way it usually meets in some places, and had to temporarily change the form in which we meet to a form that doesn't fully engage all our normal sensory joys of meeting. But what have we lost? - presence with one another through touch (eg hugs, handshakes, meal sharing) and the dynamics of sharing the same space.
But what about my fellow church member and friend who is blind and does't get to see anyone else when church members gather in physical presence of each other? She misses the sensory element of 'sight fellowship' every Sunday (and every other time she interacts with people), which others take for granted. Is her fellowship less because of that? Or what about the deaf? Or what about a young disabled friend in the church I grew up in who was fed through a feeding-tube and could never partake of communion (or gluten-intolerant people who can't have the communion bread, or my husband who is allergic to many fruits so can't drink the grape juice).
A Comparison?
Maybe it is helpful to think through this by comparing it with the fact that my mother and I live on separate continents, and my only other sibling, my brother, and his family live on yet another continent. We are all family whether we are in each other's physical presence or not, We don't stop being family. We just don't always get to fully enjoy the fullness of the relationship that comes when we are in each other's presence.
But, do we do the least we can over technology, in the fear we will not want to ever be together physically if we do too much over technology?
No.
We do as much as we can over technology, and it only makes us wish all the more we could be together physically.
The world has done the same for decades with telephone calls and letters when physical face-to-face chats are not possible.
Do phone calls with family we love make us want to be with them less or more? Oh how we thank and praise the Lord for the level of 'togetherness' we can have because of technology that otherwise would not be there.
I read one article that mentioned that a church felt that the leaders/elders couldn't really do their job in this 'internet' type church so it wasn't really 'church'. But although they may not be able to interact in physical bodily presence, being in a separate physical location doesn't have to prevent church leaders from leading, video or audio calling, praying, making decisions with other leaders about the church, emailing etc etc. It just requires a bit of creativity.
Biblical Counselor Alasdair Groves of the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, in a short video encouraged pastors during this time to remember that while they might yearn to be able to shepherd their flock by physical presence, they can still minister the Word, and that in fact the Word is just that…'word'… and 'word' communication can be by email, text, phone call, Zoom or whatever. He reminded pastors that the Word is not handicapped by distance, and we only need look at the Apostle Paul who wrote letters to minister the Word to those he couldn't be physically present with. He said it might feel 'less' for now, but we should not underestimate what happens when people come together 'word to word' or 'mind to mind'.
Or maybe think of it this way - what about the fact that we are God's children while not yet being in 'physical' presence with him in heaven. We are still his children, but the fullness of our relationship is yet to come. We don't have to wait to become his children till our physical presence is with him. The belonging, the identity and the one-ness and fellowship that comes with that identity is already enjoyed if not yet in its fulness.
Our relationship and spiritual 'being' part of the Church, is not defined by our social and physical 'doing' local church activity. The 'doing' results (as we are able) from the 'being'. Our works result from faith, and are not the basis of our faith. Our position in Christ directs our Christian practice, our practice does not determine our position. Faith without works is dead, but works without faith are worthless. If our Christianity is founded on 'doing' more than 'being', we will feel totally adrift in the current situation. Maybe this is a time to check if we have got the 'doing and the 'being' the wrong way around or out of balance. And if we have, then to get them back the right way around and back in balance, is a very worthwhile lesson, not just for now, but for our entire lives!
Maybe 'Less' is not BAD, but just DIFFERENT…or maybe even 'more' for some!
Many are writing about how live-streaming church is not really 'church', that it is less than 'real' church, and saying it thus shouldn't be live-streamed or over the internet.
Some are wondering if Christians should just have this time without any form of gathering so they won't get used to prefering a false substitute.
Some believe that church over the internet is not real worship so are not having 'worship' services but are calling them something else.
But these 'lesser' options are still a HUGE amount more than those whose churches are too small or not equipped with the technology, or members don't all have smart phones or computers, or in parts of the world where internet streaming isn't easily available or affordable.
Again I understand that people acknowledge that physically gathering in each other's presence is the goal on this earth and we don't want people to be satisfied with less.
But can I say from one who has had years of mostly not being able to physically gather regularly with others, that those who truly know the Lord and are part of his family will not ever be totally satisfied with no corporate gathering fellowship at all.
I am VERY thankful in past years for being able to hear the preaching of the word as recorded via cassette, or sermons downloadable from on-line, but now with YouTube and Live-streaming I am SO thankful to also see that preaching. But I have NEVER stopped yearning for the ability to be able to share the joy of full physical presence corporate worship. It is NEVER that I 'prefer' being 'with' people only via a screen, but it is a wonderful blessed provision for those, who by necessity, cannot meet with other church members physically in the weekly gathering.
My experience and participation of 'gathering' with fellow church members for worship and fellowship has not diminished with live-streaming and Zoom but has increased. And for ZOOM prayer-meeting, I get to see everyone, hear everyone, participate with the others who have gathered on-line, and have feedback both verbal and visual in real time. It's been absolutely wonderful and an incredible blessing!
Is church for me currently a 'Claytons' version? Absolutely not! It is better now for me, not worse. It is more, not less. It is greater fellowship, not less...
...Because the church is not the building or the place.
We do not worship on this mountain or that.
We worship in Spirit and in Truth, in the same Spirit who indwells us all as Christians, and gives us one-ness in all our 'less than full' ways on this earth, and makes us long for and prepares us for the day when we will enjoy the fullness of worshipping together before God's throne for eternity. On this earth, with human limitations and dwelling in various physical locations, as well as some already departed, and some yet to be born, we do not yet fully enjoy or experience the church as One, worshipping the Lord together in the fulness of all our created senses and un-sin-tainted understanding and appreciation.
We are the church, but we are not yet fully what we shall be.
Maybe this lockdown time will remind us that the longing we have to enjoy a greater measure of corporate body life and worship, is the same longing that we should have every time we gather as we long for the fulness of experience as being with Christ and his body the church, one day, in heaven.
But there are a few more things this season of life might be teaching the church….and I will explore some of them in Part 2…
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