The Importance of Gathering
REV CHARLIE (December 2020)
COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our ability to gather this year. In March, we went into lockdown and were unable to have any in person gatherings. Our services went online and families were encouraged to gather as ‘the little church’ in their homes. In July, we were able to return to physical gatherings, though with a greatly reduced number of people. The restrictions have recently been eased further, allowing us to meet in greater numbers during Advent and Christmas. This is of course very good news and, judging by the feedback I’ve received, it is welcomed by everyone.
The unusual events of 2020 have caused the church as a whole to revaluate its modus operandi, with some going as far as to say that the church should move away from in person gatherings, in favour of ‘online’ church. Making use of technology to propagate the gospel and build communities of Jesus’ followers is an opportunity we cannot ignore, however, this should in no way replace in person gatherings.
Human beings have been created to interact with one another in a personal and intimate way. We are made to be relational because God is relational. Increasingly, people are disengaging with personal intimacy as they become absorbed in a virtual world through their devices. I recently observed a family in a restaurant, where every member of the family had their eyes fixed on a mobile phone - no one was speaking. We are forgetting what it means to be relational. We are forgetting what it means to be human. The impact of this is palpable. When we are starved of human interaction, we become depressed. A recent article by the BBC revealed that cases of depression in the UK have doubled in the last year. Doubtless there are a myriad of contributing factors, but the imposition of ‘lockdown’ must surely be one of the most conspicuous.
The church is called to be counter-cultural, not for the sake of it, but to reveal God’s intention for humanity. Surely we must buck the trend of isolationism and virtual friendships. We often hear people lamenting the now common practice of eating family meals in front of the television. When we gather as a church, we are also gathering for a family meal, the Lord’s supper. Are we really going to attempt to do this in front of a screen when there’s no longer any need to do so? The mission of our church is: Love Jesus, Love the Church, Love the World. To love the church is to love being together.
The Church is the visible presence of Jesus’ kingdom in the world. In September, we held a service outdoors on the oval and many passers-by acknowledged our presence with a friendly toot of the horn, or a not so friendly mouthful of obscenities. I was encouraged by both, because any engagement served as a testament to the visibility of Christ’s church. We must have a visible presence online, but only to augment our visible presence in the community. After all, how many of those who drove past our outdoor service in September would have come across our church that day, if we’d only been online!
Finally, our physical gatherings provide opportunities to contribute to the growth of the kingdom. 1 Corinthians 12: 12 says, ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.’ We have such a diverse range of gifts in our church, all of which have been given by God to build up the church as a whole. Some of those gifts can only be used effectively when we gather in a physical way; hospitality, for example. Another example would be interpersonal gifts. Anyone who has been limited to communicating with loved ones via ‘Zoom’ will tell you that it just isn’t the same. When we gather, we get to engage our gifts more completely.
We rejoice that we can now spend Advent and Christmas together as one body. Jesus came into the world to be with us in person and we want to be with Him and with each other.
