Be the Church Right Where You Are
Post originally published on Joyful Life Magazine
Photo by Michael Maasen
I gripped my hymnal tightly and sang as robustly as I could behind my mask, hot breath fogging up my reading glasses, tears springing to my eyes as each note climbed higher. This was my first time in a group setting in six months. It wasn’t with my own church community but with my daughters’ homeschool co-op. And it wasn’t the way my church usually worships, which is less hymns and more rock band style.
Before the pandemic, I might have even said it wasn’t my people. But as I stood and sang, I was reminded how untrue that is.
We have been given a beautiful gift in this season in which we are often separated from our usual spiritual community—to live out our calling outside the church walls. God always desired that there "be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another” (1 Corinthians 12:25, ESV).
What if we were to ask Him, “God, what do you have for me to do here and now? What does it look like for me to serve Your people right where I am?”
The world is ripe for the richness of deep fellowship. I didn’t realize how much I missed that feeling myself, of being in a room full of seekers worshipping in unity. I long to do it more often.
But until then, let’s be the church everywhere we go. Let our song be words of encouragement and practical service. Let our legacy in the time of pandemic be that we loved well.
What is God calling you to do in your home or community lately?