“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.” (Heb. 10:24-25, ESV)
How does church happen in a pandemic? This is a question we’ve all been wrestling with these past four months. When we first closed the doors at Village, I addressed the topic, encouraging us to pursue four virtues: wisdom, faith, love and hope. As the weeks dragged on, we heard from several folks from Village, reflecting on how God was working in and through this pandemic. And now that we’re beginning to reopen on a limited basis, changing expectations and practices once more, it’s worth considering the question afresh.
How does church happen when we’re sort of reopened?
Over the next few posts, I’m going to explore several pressure points on our church life right now, to help us frame our thinking about church in the most constructive and God-honoring way we can.
Christian Community
The first (and most obvious) is the pressure on what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls “Christian community.” Simply put, these are the relationships we possess with one another through Christ. Christian community is one of the great gifts of belonging to Christ. We are brought into a family of fellow forgiven saints who all receive the love of God through His Spirit within us. It is here, in the church, that humanity begins to experience healing from the hostility of sin.
This hasn’t changed. And yet, it’s obvious that social distancing creates—well, distance. Christian community is meant to be experienced in physical presence; in real relationships. But when we gather together on Sunday morning, with faces obscured by masks, asked to avoid physical contact, all with the implicit suspicion that one of us may inadvertently contaminate others—it puts a damper on the warmth of our relationships. This is why our first Sunday back felt so weird. It was wonderful to see everyone, but a strange aloofness hung over us through it all.
Distance As Focus
The temptation may be to avoid physical proximity altogether. But this would be a massive mistake. The six foot markers creating bodily distance are powerless against the unity of the Spirit shared between us. And it may be that this distance is a gift. Just as the hunger pains of fasting help us to focus on the greater sustenance of God’s truth and presence, so physical distance may force us to consider more deeply what holds us together.
Bonhoeffer writes, “Christianity means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this." (Life Together, p. 21) In our context, he means that Village is not the body of Christ because of our theological distinctives, or our shared culture or even the fact that we live near one another. What makes us the body of Christ is that we are in Jesus together.
This is revolutionary. The church is what it is, not because its people are similar, naturally get along or share the same hobbies. The church is what it is because Jesus Christ called each of us to Himself, and we are in Him together.
Don’t Neglect One Another
While there are many legitimate reasons for continuing to worship at home during these uncertain times—and we support them for the health and safety of Village—it’s also possible to be disobedient to the spirit of Hebrews 10:24-25. We can ignore the many opportunities to connect with one another via technology—new and old (snail mail anyone?). We can allow the awkwardness of pandemic safety to loom larger than the gravitational pull of Christ between us. We can allow fear of contamination to put our love for one another on ice, rather than stoking the fire of Christ’s love that we might serve one another in creative ways.
But we must not neglect the community of Christ. Whether you arrive on Sunday morning or choose to remain at home, allow the felt distance to drive your heart to the center of why we are. See Christ in your brother or sister. And then be the body of Christ your brother or sister needs.