Four solid months of staying home can do a lot of things to the life of the faithfuls. Most of us are missing social interaction and pure fellowship with our church congregation; that Sunday morning when we all get excited and ready, we put our best self neatly and accordingly for worship. We carry our Bibles and journals in our purses or under the arm. We drive to church with the whole family all beaming with wide smiles on their faces. We arrive at church and we each run to our respective groups or straight to the coffee corner to grab a hot cup of coffee or tea and say 'HELLO' to everyone around to keep tabs with our church community.
Exactly how I feel and look forward to that Sunday morning... I got dressed and ready early, too excited to go back to in-person worship. I must confess when the church survey came I said I was not ready to mingle with others yet. Since our county was hit with CoVid, I have not been anywhere but work and home and maybe the once a week gasoline station stop to fill my tank. The only other place I have been would be the a drive-through to pick up food or online shopping. So coming back to church for the first time after four solid months was exciting. It was so surreal to come to church: line up for temperature check and stop at the hand sanitizer station. It is so much like coming into a hospital facility. Ooops, forgot to mention wearing a face covering and sitting so far apart from each other is required too.
Funny thing is, cause we were sitting quite a distance from each other, you literally have to shout or talk a bit louder than usual so you can hear each other. Everyone was so happy to see each other even though we barely knew or have even met before that. The offering bucket is just by the exit instead of being passed around. Not a lot of commotion going on, but loads of ushers around to help and I suppose control traffic. Going to church nowadays involve an RSVP. It is so much like going to the cinema, you need to sign up to secure a seat.
On the other hand, some of us might be getting too comfortable with just staying home on Sundays and watching the worship service whenever we please to in the comfort of our own recliner. Do not get settled with that my dearests, we all long for social interaction all the more the fellowship of believers. Remember Hebrews 10:24-25 that says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." More than ever, apart from our longing for human interaction, this is the time and age of "drawing near to GOD" and "doing life with other Jesus followers" in order to spur each other in love. Hospitality and sense of community are necessities of our present life. There are a lot of suffering around us, sickness and grief beyond what we can imagine, hunger and pain are becoming an everyday thing, and everyone's emotion is up high. We, as God's image bearers will need to make our light shine brightly so that we can point all these people back to Jesus. Let us be the church that is set up on a hill and be the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).
In-person worship services did not last long, to be exact two consecutive Sundays and that was it! Because of the staggering number of people getting sick and needing hospitalization here in our own county, a new order for more closures came into effect again. I think emotions were flying high everywhere when this announcement was made. I would not deny the fact that even the church was shaken by all these sudden change again.
Our church elders and pastors have decided to continue with in-person worship with adjustments put in place and still be able to follow the guidelines from the Health Department. I am so glad and pleased that our church leadership has taken a great leap of faith but at the same time has taken health and safety of everyone into consideration and compliance to the county's mandate. Therefore, being a Christian is not just being busy with serving, studying God's Word but most of all living as one, that is a good citizen and a healthy individual for this matter.
It is funny how the new normal looks like for church goers. For the past two Sundays we have been worshiping outdoors. The church staff had nicely done and prepared the campus plaza into a big open area where people can sit together as a family and yet be six-feet apart from each other's group; with blaring speakers, the Praise and Worship Team and the preacher are all set up in a makeshift stage blinded by the bright morning sun (so that the congregation could be sitting opposite it and be comfortable, I love this thoughtful consideration). My first reaction on that first Sunday outdoor worship was a big WOW! as it felt and looked like a big church summer picnic just without a lot of mingling with each other. Now, when the people comes to worship we get to line first for the mandatory check-in and you will see each of us fashioning cute and personalized face masks. What's funny too is that apart from the Bible we carry under one arm, church-goers also have their picnic chairs strapped on one shoulder carrying their coffee or tea (from home) and on summer clothes (only meaning light, non-formal but still decent casual clothes) and sandals or slip-ons. Things are indeed changing and we are adapting in order to continue on with fellowship and worship as a congregation hungry for interaction, a live preaching of GOD's message and community of believers. A lot of considerations to make; guidelines to follow; restrictions to practice (social distancing, face mask and elderly or high risks to stay home for now) all in the name of re-gathering. Today, after four long months, we were able to do communion. Doing it as a community all together again, even in the most awkward circumstances with all the necessary precautions taken and considered. This communion was a meaningful one, but yes exactly as Pastor Phil said "the cup is just juice, the bread just bread" but instead we should take it and truly remember what Jesus sacrificed for our sins..His own life for our salvation (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Life must go on, and so must the life of the church. We cannot let this virus dwindle us down and make us lazy in the pursuit of church life. We should not be taken over by so much emotions and politics, that we do not listen to our church leadership and heed their call of unity on issues of health and safety together with being good Christians and social beings. We can't be too strict nor too lax either, putting on face mask does not have to be an issue. As a health worker I can tell you maybe more than ten reasons why it is essential to be a wearing mask, but that is all I can do, educate you, the decision is yours...but remember this, whenever someone wears a mask we are helping yo reduce the spread of virus or not giving someone else that.
If coming to church and being in fellowship with other believers mean we need to follow rules, sacrifice a little bit of our personal issue and take a lot of considerations on health and safety...so be it! I would rather have a face mask on than not to be in fellowship with others. Things will hopefully improve, new advancements in medicine will soon alleviate our worries, guidelines and rules will eventually change for the better...but until then we are called to show how Jesus followers should be reflecting Jesus to the world rather than be the center of the stage light for differing issues and maybe political sides. Our sole purpose remains: to do everything for His glory and for our joy.
Come and join us for these outdoor services at Golden Hills Community Church every Sunday at 7:30 in the morning. Let us worship God, our Loving Father while enjoying and appreciating the beauty of His creation. Click this LINK to reserve a spot as number of attendees are limited to a certain number. Let us make the most while we can meet together in person and worship our Sovereign God with all our might! See you this Sunday!
