Psalm 122:1 rang in my head this whole past week.
It goes like this, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
Yes, that was the verse, and that is my true sentiment when it comes to going to church.
This past Sunday, we tentatively opened our doors to worship.
For the Doniphan Church it meant limiting the numbers to 44 for both services, (which really was not that big of a deal since we are not a large congregation).
We seated everyone six feet apart, and we worshiped.
There were some things missing. We shut down the coffee and donut station (I know, for a Methodist coffee is like holy water). We hid all of the hymnals since they could not be sanitized without damaging them. We did communion, but we kept everyone at their seats.
We limited the entrances to the sanctuary, and we had hand sanitizer in spritz bottles doled out by volunteers. We had church, but it looked quite different than before.
But, if the truth were to be told, the Apostles Paul and Peter would not recognize the way we do church now.
John Wesley and Francis Asbury would not recognize the United Methodist or any other church. My grandparents would have trouble recognizing church.
But, even though we may worship differently than we did even 30 years ago, the message of God’s love is still the same.
We may need to sit six feet apart, wear masks and not shake hands, but the message of the salvational love of Jesus Christ is still the same as it was 2,000 years ago.
Today, we are reaching out in ways Martin Luther, Jacob Arminius and John Calvin could not even imagine.
With all of our social media and electronic interaction, the word of God can be shared from our churches all the way to Tokyo, Japan. In fact, many of our churches are being seen and heard in many countries.
So, when I say I was glad when they said we could go to the house of the Lord, I meant it.
Now, we can gather together in person. We can share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the person sx feet from us and 1,000 miles away.
Though I do not like the Covid-19, I like the paradigm shifts that were forced on us in relation to being the church.
As the restrictions lessen over the next few months, (yes, I said months, not weeks) get more involved in your church.
Do not let it go stagnate and get comfortable. Now, that the churches have reached out and are now in the cyber network, let us make our presence felt and known. Let us put the church back into the people of the world. After all, we are supposed to go and make disciples. Let us go.
Finally, continue praying for your pastors, your Bible study teachers, your health care providers and all the essentials that are still fighting the good fight.
We may not be out of the woods yet, but we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Guess who that light is?
See you in church.
Rev. Kent Wilfong is the pastor at the United Methodist Church, Doniphan/Neelyville.