It has been two weeks
since our church closed its doors “until further notice” because of the
coronavirus pandemic. The same with the church in our town where I used to be
the pastor and still visit – and preach - occasionally. I miss them both. I
miss church.
The pastors of both congregations are doing an excellent job
keeping in touch with their parishioners. They send out daily email devotions.
They have video and audio recordings of Sunday services, which they record in an
empty sanctuary. My wife and I sit side by side in our living room on Sunday
mornings and listen to them both on my laptop. We sing along with the hymns,
read the scriptures aloud, and pray together. I even get on the computer and
send an electronic offering. It’s nice, but it isn’t the same.
Our pastor says that soon he is going to put the Tuesday
study group on Zoom. I am looking forward to it. But it won’t be the same. I
miss church. I miss seeing the people and shaking their hands. I miss the small
talk before and after the service. I miss hearing the choir sing. I miss the
organ music. Many churches now have a worship band with guitars and electronic
keyboard, but I prefer an organ. It communicates the holy to me.
I miss church. I am one of those people who rarely misses Sunday
worship. This will be the first time in probably forty-five years that I have
not been in church for two Sundays in a row. When away from home we always find
a church to visit. When traveling to western Pennsylvania on a weekend I have been
known to pull off a highway exit on Sunday morning, find a church in which to worship,
and then continue on our journey after lunch. You might call me a churchaholic.
(I wonder if there is a twelve step group for church addicts like me.)
All my life I have heard people give their reasons why they
do not attend church. They say that they do not need a church to worship and
serve God. They say that they can worship God better by walking in the woods
and enjoying nature. They can recite a litany of complaints against the
institutional church and organized religion. They say that they are spiritual but
not religious. Not me. I miss church.
There is a reason why the church is called the Body of
Christ. In Christianity the physical is as important as the spiritual. The physical
presence of other people communicates the presence of God. The physical elements
of Holy Communion communicates the presence of Christ. The physical rituals in
worship communicate the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is why I need church.
Digital worship is just not the same. Video teachings do not
connect as deeply as a physical presence. I know the value of online ministry.
I have a blog, a podcast, and a YouTube channel. I know these are valuable
tools in this digital age. They are helpful substitutes for pastors to use in this
time of pandemic when people cannot get out to church. But they are not enough.
We need the physical. That is why God became incarnate in
Jesus Christ. The teachings of Christ are not enough; we need him. We need
physical presence. That is what we celebrate at Christmas. That is why we
celebrate the Resurrection on Easter. That is why Christianity has always
stressed the importance of the physical world and the physical needs of people.
The church – the people, not the building – is the physical presence of God in
the world.
That presence is what I need. This is what we all need. I
miss church.
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