“It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God’s Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they went ‘with the multitude…to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday’ (Ps.42:4).” –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
The Lord brought these words to my mind Wednesday afternoon after praying over the phone with one of our members. I’ve read Bonhoeffer’s book on Christian community many times over the years, but never have his words carried more weight than in the midst of our current trials with Covid-19. Our church council’s decision to follow the CDC guidelines and cancel our Sunday and mid-week worship services for the next two weeks was the right thing to do. But we will miss gathering in the Lord’s House for worship, Bible study and fellowship.
As someone said this week, “We’ve all had to spread out, slow down, and stay in.” But I’m confident our flock will continue to look to the Lord and to His Word. I also know that we are looking out for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Make it a godly practice to prayerfully check on fellow members as well as your neighbors and friends. Cheer them with a psalm reading (such as Psalm 23, 46, 90, or 92), or from the words of Christ (such as Matthew 6:25-34 or John 14:1-3). Challenge them to spend as much time in the Word and in prayer as they do the 24/7 news cycle!