Apologia

As difficult as it was for the world to go through the COVID-19 scare, I believe it was a clarifying moment for the church. The first was in facing the realization that public officials in many communities deemed the church as a non-essential gathering, and so they were able to enact emergency restrictions that closed the doors of church buildings for a period of time.

For church leaders, this period became a devastating foothold for division as decisions regarding the practices of gathering became a test of love, loyalty, or even orthodoxy depending upon someone’s view of the virus. No matter what was decided, the elders and pastors were viewed as either cowardly or calloused, and those who were on the fence about staying at a church used this as an excuse to leave. Seeing a close friend become a scapegoat for this process and being punished for standing alongside him was particularly heartbreaking for me.

For the introvert or night owl, the practice of being able to “attend” church remotely over a streaming service was appealing because it provided the opportunity to view at one’s own pace, sleep in, pause for bathroom breaks, or fast forward through the boring parts.

Even after the pandemic scare had largely subsided, it was difficult to get people to come back, and even though a number of people would quote from Hebrews 10:25, “Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some…,” people questioned whether this verse was applicable in light of this new technology and why it was necessary to physically gather.

Do we meet to hear a sermon? I can listen to podcasts from churches all over the world all throughout the week. Do we meet to have a worship experience? I can ask Alexa to play hymns or Contemporary Christian Music that can let me raise up holy hands in my living room. Do we need to put a check in the offering plate? I can give online. Do we need to pray corporately? God is omnipresent so our church can all pray together over the internet and still be heard. Do we need fellowship with other Christians? Yes, but often people will prefer fellowship in the small group setting.

I would argue that it comes down to how we define the term “church service.” Because these two words are put together, it can be easy to think that the gathering of the church is about us serving Christ. We sing songs and offer praise to show Him how much we appreciate what He has done for us, and we rededicate ourselves to doing more for Him.

Instead, I would like you to consider the idea that Christ is the one who serves His bride in the same manner in which He served His disciples in washing their feet. He does this through His Word and Sacrament, Law and Gospel. His word for us not only comes by way of reading the scriptures and delivering a message about them but in absolving our sins. We gather together to confess our sins and receive the wonderful reassurance of His ongoing forgiveness. We gather to remember the promises of Christ in our baptism. People tend to think that Christianity is all about following a set of rules to be able to go to heaven, but it is about the grace and mercy of God who took on flesh in a world full of sin to restore us to Himself. We need the Law of God to show us our sin and bring us to Christ, and His word of peace to lift the burden from us and renew us.

The word sacrament just means mysterious or sacred. While it is wonderful to experience the verbal reassurance of God’s grace, Christ mysteriously comes to us in the communion meal. The entire architecture of the Lutheran church is centered around the altar. People spend so much time debating about the elements of the meal that they don’t consider why Jesus chose the Passover to institute the new testament in His blood.

John the Baptist called Jesus “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” This paschal lamb was not only used to mark the doorposts of households to keep them safe from the tenth plague, but it was physically consumed by the family. Its spotless flesh was taken in by their sinful flesh and provided sustenance while covering over their sins.

In our church, we proclaim that in coming to the table in front of the altar, we are gathering with angels and arch-angels and all the hosts of heaven. We are gathering with all the church— past and present, and we look to the future when we all will be reunited in Christ. Until that day, we are internally receiving Christ to sustain us and renew us in the faith. This is something that cannot be offered over a streaming channel or from a world that is hurdling toward death.

Finally, beyond the time in which Christ serves us through His word and sacraments, He gives us the opportunity to use the gifts He has given us to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. A fellowship meal, an encouraging word, an opportunity to participate in the lives of those for whom Christ gave His life. In serving one another, the apostle Peter wrote that we faithfully administer God’s grace in its various forms.