Ripples on the River – May 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the truth of the New Testament: The church is not a building.   When Paul talked about the church as God’s building, it was a metaphor like “God’s field” (I Corinthians 3:9).   The churches met in people’s homes, by a river, in someone’s shop.

We so often talk about “going to church” and everyone knows we’re talking about our building at 1025 Central Avenue.

Lately we have been experiencing church through our internet connections.  We worship together over Zoom, with Marj playing music from her home, and Jeff singing from the sanctuary.  I have been preaching from the pulpit, but Ruth led our Maundy Thursday worship from our home.

We may call our Sunday service “virtual worship” but it’s the actual church.

And yet physical places provide deep connections for us as holy ground.

I found myself grieving as we moved out of our home at 52 Cherokee Drive and cleaned up the house for a new family.  That structure was more than shelter, it was a refuge and retreat center for Ruth and me. When we said good-bye to the place, we remembered the people who had spent time there over the years—family, friends, church members…and people who have gone on to a “building not made with hands.”

As we return to our church building, may we encounter God in that sacred space with all our memories.  And may God bless our church wherever and however we connect in the Spirit.

In Christ,  Ron