where the Lord dwells
To say that The NY Times article made me angry is inaccurate. I simply disagree, strongly, with the conclusion. Even though much of what Anglican Church priest Tish Harrison Warren wrote in her January 30th opinion piece about why churches should discontinue the online “option,” resonates. I do not believe that alternative forms of worship (outside the church space) and alternate forms of community (beyond in-person options) diminish us. Quite the opposite.
Online church, while it was necessary for a season, diminishes worship and us as people. We seek to worship wholly — with heart, soul, mind and strength — and embodiment is an irreducible part of that wholeness. (Going to church in person should not be optional)
Loving God with our whole selves, and our neighbor as ourselves, certainly includes our physical bodies. Being present to each other is vital to our health (on every level,) and the pandemic has highlighted how desperately we need touch and in-person interaction. But having more does not make us less. And New Covenant has taught me that the binary system is a false choice; Jesus provides a third way that is not either/or; God is both/and.
Most of us will experience times in our lives when we are incapable of attending services at a building. We will be separated from our community of faith- by distance, by illness, by weather, by situations beyond our control. In times of isolation, we hunger for God’s presence communicated to us through worship with our spiritual family, whose names and faces we know.
But how could God possibly live on earth? If heaven, even the highest heaven, can’t contain you, how can this temple that I’ve built contain you? 1 Kings 8:27 (CEB)
As Solomon said, we know God doesn’t live in buildings. But what if “everyone else” is at church, and we can’t be there? I hear the Bible differently through the voices of our community. Prayers and personal updates connect me to brothers and sisters far away. Contemplating the same teaching unites us in our mission.
It used to be that TV church was the only at-home option. Imperfect though that is/was, these ministries addressed an important need. A void. I am grateful that our options have expanded. TV personality preachers are not a good fit for me. I want to hear the voices I know and love, the wisdom of our own humble teachers, the messages rooted in this particular congregation.
Lord my God, listen to your servant’s prayer and request, and hear the cry and prayer that your servant prays to you today. Constantly watch over this temple, the place about which you said, “My name will be there,” and listen to the prayer that your servant is praying toward this place. 1 Kings 8:28-29 (CEB)
Our physical worship space is important. God dwells in the place where countless prayers and praises have been uttered. When I wander through the sanctuary mid-week, I experience it as a sanctified space; miracles take place here. I look forward to gathering again very soon. And I have no intention of taking away the gift of online worship. People praying “toward” this place, as Solomon said. The temple was special; people couldn’t always (or often) be there in person. Even thousands of years ago, there was a virtual option.
College students far from their home congregation. Former residents of Champaign-Urbana that found a home at New Covenant. Those of us experiencing physical barriers from in-person attendance. Our travelers and snow birds. What a delight to provide community, worship, scripture, teaching, and praise that unite us in the invisible space where God dwells.
Others who cherish our embodied worship, like Mennonite pastor Melissa Florer-Bixler, articulate WHY MY CHURCH ISN’T DROPPING OUR ONLINE SERVICE. We are not enemies- we are just people, pastors, who write different opinions about what we think is best. Our common goal is to serve, to love, our congregations and our neighbors. So we will continue to do that to the best of our (spiritual, physical, emotional, and technological) abilities.
May the Lord our God be with us, just as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us. May he draw our hearts to him to walk in all his ways and observe his commands, his laws, and his judgments that he gave our ancestors. And may these words of mine that I have cried out before the Lord remain near to the Lord our God day and night so that he may do right by his servant and his people Israel for each day’s need, nd so that all the earth’s peoples may know that the Lord is God. There is no other God! Now may you be committed to the Lord our God with all your heart by following his laws and observing his commands, just as you are doing right now.” 1 Kings 8:57-61(CEB) -Renée
4 Comments On “where the Lord dwells”
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Well said, Renee! Curious that the writer sees the danger of church attendance vs. online as a “consumer preference” without acknowledging that we have gained something that should not be set aside. Yes, in-person attendance is better; but our wheelchair-bound friend whose immune-compromised system means he cannot safely attend in person yet, is not exercising a “consumer preference” – and bringing him Communion is valuable and important, but why should he not be able to engage more fully (online) with the congregation he feels so much a part of? I suspect the NYT writer will nuance her opinion going forward.
Thank you for articulating this in such a thoughtful and clearly spirit-led way. This is Good News:
“…having more does not make us less. And New Covenant has taught me that the binary system is a false choice; Jesus provides a third way that is not either/or; God is both/and.”
Thank you for your reflections on this important issue, Renee. I have not read the New York Times opinion piece, but I am grateful for the online option we have at NCF. N As a snowbird, I greatly miss my New Cov family and yearn for the weekly services. Even when we met in person, I found it meaningful to listen to the worship and teaching prior to the service. I benefitted from listening to and reflecting on the teaching early in the morning and again several hours later.
Finally, our online services allow for unexpected outreach opportunities. My husband sends the link to family and friends in South Africa, and they discuss it afterward.
Thank you, Jim, Kristin, and Kathy! I was thinking of the many friends who escape IL winters but stay connected to NCF this way. There are also quite a few folks who have never lived in Champaign-Urbana and also enjoy our online services. Even in South Africa, apparently!! And when any of us travels, or is ill, or away at college, or has other commitments that preclude in-person attendance- it is such a gift to be able to listen any time, anywhere.