July 7, 2021

great is thy faithfulness

oh God my Father

there is no shadow of turning with thee

though changest not, thy compassions they fail not

as thou has been thou forever will be

great is thy faithfulness

great is thy faithfulness

morning by morning new mercies I see

all I have needed thy hand hath provided

great is thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

 

On Sunday hubs and I were in church. For the first time since the pandemic started we were free to walk through the door unhindered. We had no masks, we had no restrictions on numbers of people present and no one took down our names when we walked in.

I found myself singing with my whole heart, savoring the worship to the Lord, my senses filled with the fragrance of Jesus. It was so good to be together again. Our Communion celebration felt sacred as the Holy Spirit bound our hearts in remembering all that Jesus had suffered so that we could be saved.

I was reminded that nothing we face compares to the ultimate price Jesus paid to purchase our souls.

I was also reminded that this lock down changed us in so many ways, maybe more than we bargained for.

Maybe it showed us that we could do church on our own and it wasn’t necessary to physically be present in a building. Maybe it provided distance from all the politics of running a church and let us off the hospitality hook. Maybe it allowed us to hide behind our front doors and sheltered us from eyes that would uncover our vulnerabilities.

Is that wrong, we ask ourselves? I mean, we’ve been doing things this way for a year and a half…it’s working, sort of.

Ultimately I believe that when scripture encourages us not to forsake gathering together there is a good reason for it. Hebrews 10: 24-25 says this, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, and 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.”

Gathering together provides support, encouragement, healing, community. It invites us to be part of a group of people who love the Lord and want to express it corporately with fellow believers.

Church community asks us to live in forgiveness and reconciliation with each other.

Church community asks us to shed pretense and clothe ourselves with humility towards each other.

Church community asks us to take note of each other’s hardships and burdens, responding as if our arms were an extension of the Lord’s.

Church community asks us to raise our hearts and hands in corporate worship as a body of believers united in Christ.

It’s been so hard to stay connected through Covid. We’ve been secluded from each other and it seems like the physical distancing brought distance to our relationships as well. Can I encourage you to reconnect with your local church body?

It may feel awkward at first. Show up anyways. You may have to sacrifice some new habits and routines you’ve developed. Do it anyways. You may be nervous or fearful of what you will find when you walk though the door. Open it anyways.

What I believe you’ll find are arms wide open, welcoming you in.