A reflection written by one of our members, Tara Bertram
A friend recently asked me if I thought that the coronavirus would cause division within the church. I’ve thought quite a bit about her question since then. The short answer, is yes, I think the coronavirus has the potential to cause division within the church for many obvious reasons. I mean, we’re people. So if you ask ten people what their opinion is about the coronavirus and all that goes with it (social distancing, conspiracy theory, wearing masks, the like) then you will get ten different answers. Multiply that by a congregation of 200+ people and the opinions multiple like rabbits. And in all seriousness, God bless the pastors that are trying to shepherd us stinky sheep through all this.
But I think what has given me most pause as I have thought about my friend’s question, is that the pandemic has placed in bold 88 point font the question of, “what is the church and does it matter?” Whether we realize it or not, we all have a conviction about what the church is. And over the last two months, as we’ve been able to sit in our comfy pajamas with unbrushed teeth (you know you’ve done it) and “watched church” on TV, it’s easy to believe the lie that this is church. There are some churches that have programmed the pandemic quite well. Flashy sermons, without kinks or glitches, and best of all …. Without people. Hang with me here.
If we believe that church via YouTube or Facebook is “church,” then we’ve got a pretty sweet deal going. We don’t have to sacrifice, or serve, or participate in risk. There is no risk of getting hurt by a pandemic, much less hurt by people if you’re sitting on the couch doing “church.” If we believe that what we have done for the last two months is church, then we have a very self-centered view of what church is and much less about what the cross has accomplished. News flash, the gospel is not about us. It is not about MY comfort, MY agenda, MY desire for control and comfort and knowing that everything is going to be hunkey-dory. With the gospel, we aren’t told that just 1.3% of people will experience suffering. We are PROMISED that suffering is part of the deal. For HIS glory. Not mine. That in His loving providence, he has given us suffering. That suffering may look like coronavirus, or it may look like death of a spouse or a child, or “fill in the blank.” That’s a hard truth to take in!
The pandemic has the potential to divide the church because many of us have a false doctrine of what the church is. So then, what is the church? [1]
The church is people. People that God has rescued and called unto himself. We are “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (Col 3.12)
The church is a group of people, a family. We are adopted into the household of God (Eph 2:19). It is within this family, within this community that we grow.
The church is a group of people called into fellowship. We are called to come together to worship God. This is seen over and over again throughout the Old Testament.
In short, the church is a people called and rescued by God, gathered together as a family, in worship of the one true God.
As we think about “re-entry” over the next months, now more than ever, there is a temptation to attend “Saint Mattress” rather than attend our local congregation. Please hear me. Be prudent. For you. For your family. For our church family. With prayer, follow the convictions of your family. What is permissible for one, may not be permissible for another (1 Corinthians 10:23 - “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up”). I am NOT saying, go out and lick every door knob. Be wise. The Proverbs are a rich treasure trove of verses about Godly wisdom that I would encourage you to read. But also what I am saying is, if we pull back from church, from living life in a community of people, your spiritual life will stagnate. Iron sharpens iron. Sure, you may not get hurt in the short term. If you pull back from community, you may not get the ‘rona’ or the flu or pink eye, but you will miss out spiritually. You will miss out on a friend lovingly pushing you toward the Father during doubt, anxiety, depression, selfishness, relational conflict, grumbling and complaining. You will miss out on worshiping our Father, who is perfect, who knows the deep dark lonely places, who can rescue you from yourself, and who deserves all of our praise! From the beginning in Genesis, we can see that we were not meant to live alone in isolation. (Genesis 2:18 - Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him”). It is tempting to live life as a spiritual hermit, but that is not what has been mirrored for us in the Triune God – Father, Son, and Spirit - living in community as one.[2]
The coronavirus is not a surprise to God. He knew before the beginning of time that this point in time would occur. Rather than try and rest in our desire to be safely in control of our own destiny and the health of ourselves and our family, this is an opportunity to trust our loving Father. He is gentle and lowly. His yoke is a non-yoke. We are the drowning person, and he is throwing us the “burden” of a life jacket. Rather than flounder during this time, take the jacket.[3] It comes with the guarantee that another human being is going to sin against you. But it also comes with the guarantee, that you will grow in Christ. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? (Col 1:9-10)
We invite you to join us on Sunday, June 7th as get get back together to worship the Lord corporately! You can find details here.
[1] Ligonier, What is the Church?, Derek Thomas, 5/25/2018
[2] Delighting in the Trinity, Michael Reeves
[3] Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers, Dane Ortlund