"Place, Not Replace"

 

“Place, Not Replace”

 

As I pen these words in late May most churches have reopened for in person services but have continued to Live Stream or otherwise provide for remote worship. Had the COVID-19 pandemic occurred a generation ago we’d have been far more isolated from those we’d been with regularly at church activities so we see the value of contemporary technology for keeping us connected, albeit in a more limited way than usual. Karen and I have enjoyed catching up with friends as people become more comfortable with face-to-face interaction (while maintaining “social distancing”), especially now that most have been fully vaccinated,

Attending “The Church of the Lay-Z-Boy” (aka “The Church of the Living Room Couch”) has had its place and still does during such times as illness, bad weather or (until the end of March) my hospital on-call weekends. But it wasn’t intended to replace gathering with God’s people. The temptation to stay in our comfortable home surroundings can be strong—we’ve had to fight it more than once—but it’s nothing new. Around 67 AD an unknown servant of God cautioned, “…Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of (Christ’s) coming is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT). This letter was written during a time of persecution when Nero was Roman Emperor so some may have felt safer in their own homes. (This is likely still true today in places where Christians are suffering for their faith.) But the experience of many, including us, says we’re missing the best God has for us if we choose our own convenience rather than His desires for us.

During our 1997 visit to Sequoia National Park Karen and I saw how the redwoods stood strong in groups but many isolated ones had fallen. (See “Safety in Numbers”, an early posting, to learn the reason this happens.) To my knowledge the Scriptures never condone believers’ isolating themselves from their brothers and sisters—in fact, Paul assumes they’ll meet as the body of Christ (“…when you come together….”—1 Corinthians 11:33, emphasis added). May we as God’s people understand our place with one another and not replace it with anything that may compromise God’s intentions and wishes for us.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan