A great time to be God’s church in the world
By Jessica Brodie
One thing that’s become very clear to me during the coronavirus lockdown: The church isn't a place but a people and exists beyond any walls and boundaries.
And now is a wonderful time to be God's church in the world.
I’m not making light of what we’re experiencing. People are getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at an alarming rate—and soon, if they aren’t already, these will be our friends and family. It’s scary. Our routines are upended, many have lost jobs and financial security… it’s both surreal and terribly frightening.
But it’s also an opportunity.
See, we hear all the time that the church doesn’t have walls, the church is the people—but still we think of church as a place, the building we go to every Sabbath to sit, pray, sing, hear God’s word, and experience fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now, we are face-to-face with a new reality, and for many of us, that means learning to gather with other Christians and be God’s church in alternative and sometimes uncomfortable ways.
Church isn’t just Sunday. Church isn’t just a noun but a verb. And church is us, every single one of us, whether we are gathered in person or we’re gathered online.
I believe the Holy Spirit can and does move through each one of us regardless of physical proximity. The Spirit moves through phone lines, through radio frequencies, through WiFi and ethernet and any other brilliant technological method we can imagine. The Spirit moves as we engage on social media, and it’s a glorious thing.
In addition to being a blogger and author, I run a statewide religious newspaper called the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate. For our April 2020 edition, I put a call out to the 1,000 churches in our state asking how they were getting creative in doing ministry given that we’ve been asked to pause all in-person services for now.
The responses were staggering—and lengthy. And writing the article (you can read it, here) filled me with hope and deep admiration for the children of God who work tirelessly for His Kingdom, who strive day after day to share the Gospel and be God’s hands and feet in the world, whatever that looks like. Phone trees, YouTube and Facebook live worship services, video conference devotionals, and even church radio stations are helping God’s people stay connected. One church with a daily soup kitchen for the food-insecure are now offering grab-and-go sandwiches, snacks, drinks, and other prepackaged items each weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All meals are free to anyone in need.
It’s beautiful and inspiring to hear about all the ways people are truly being the church despite current challenges.
If you’re reading this and your church family isn’t able, for whatever reason, connect during this time of social isolation and distancing, I invite you to connect (temporarily or forever) with my own church, which offers live, podcast, Vimeo, and YouTube options:
https://www.mthorebumc.com/live/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mt-horeb-united-methodist/id477594063
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwkpKheCDdTF_pnus7mIQDg
In the comments below, share other ways your church family or Christians you know are being God’s church in spite of the coronavirus crisis. And God bless you, friends. Stay safe!
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."— Matthew 16:18 (NIV)
