(…continued) One of the most significant developments in the American church in the last decades has been the increasing use of internet worship. For some, this has become their only church. This is a mistake. While the internet can provide a wonderful supplement to weekly, in-person worship, it can never take its place. I could list many reasons for this. Whole books have been written to make this point. But I will state here only one reason, the most important reason for gathering together to worship: God has commanded it, and we should do what God says. In the third commandment God says “Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy.” So, why can’t you do that in your own home, ahead of your television, in your pajamas, with your coffee, toast, bacon and eggs ahead of you, cell phone in hand, Sunday newspaper on your lap, all set to focus on the Lord? Because God has said in Hebrews (and many other places), “Do not give up the habit of meeting together, as many are doing.” You might say, as I would sometimes hear in my ministry, “Well, that’s just your interpretation, pastor.” But this is not just my interpretation. This has been how God’s people have always interpreted these commands, and what they have been doing for thousands of years, going way back to when they were nomads in the desert, and would pile up a bunch of stones, make an altar, and worship the Lord.
Since the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Christian Church for two thousand years has lived and passed on the faith primarily by its weekly gathering for worship. People have always needed the fellowship of other people to encourage and sustain them in their own faith. All people have always needed community because God created us to be in relationships (Genesis 2:18: “It is not good for the man to be alone”). It seems strange, in a time when there is a well-documented epidemic of loneliness, that we should decide we no longer need community in this most important aspect of our lives; that part of our life having to do with our eternal destiny. Over the centuries, believers have risked their lives to gather for worship. This is true yet today in many places, even more so than ever before. What is more, where believers do gather to worship, the church is strong (even when persecuted), and where they do not gather to worship, the church dwindles and dies (even in places where it has been most richly blessed). We need to be in “the habit of meeting together.” Future meditations will explore this more fully.
So why do I want to add to the multitude of worship opportunities already on the internet? Did I not just describe the need for in-person worship? Well, first of all, the internet can provide useful supplements for those who do go to church, and a good starting point for those who do not. Second, I think God has given me some things to say, one of which is “Don’t just worship on the internet.” Third, God has given me some people to say it to—especially those I know and love who aren’t listening to anyone else, and probably not even worshipping; but they might take a look at what I say just because they know me. God has put them in my path, and I should use the opportunities God has given me. Fourth, I think there is some value in the traditional elements of the worship service, and worship these days in many places is moving too far away from that. The Emailmeditation Sunday worship will have a traditional format, will sometimes use old (even very old) words and songs, and will have a church background. I want it to ‘feel like church’, and not like a high school pep fest, which is what some church services feel like to me these days. The Order of Service will be explained in a few meditations this week, and the order will be printed with the post each Sunday. Finally, there are many great words, songs, prayers, and paintings in the heritage of the church, and I want to give you the opportunity to connect with some of these great treasures of the past. This can be an optional supplement for some or entry point for others, but it must be not a replacement for the necessary Sunday morning gathering. You must find a place to do that, if you have not already done so. And if you already have a place, you need to be there each week.
There are two important things you cannot get on-line or on TV, and both are commanded by Jesus. First of all, Jesus said of the Sacrament of Holy Communion “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), and you cannot do that on-line. And second, Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). We cannot receive that special presence of Jesus, or enjoy the fellowship and community of Christ’s people, in front of a screen.
So why listen to this one when there are a million more out there? I don’t know– certainly not for the high-quality production. But I do think this format is unique, and some of you might find it useful.
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Genesis 2:18 — The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…”
Exodus 20:8 (the Third Commandment) — Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Ezekiel 20:20 — Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.
Hebrews 10:24-25 — Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
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O gracious and holy God, give us diligence to seek you, wisdom to perceive you, and patience to wait for you. Grant us, O God, a mind to meditate on you, eyes to behold you, ears to listen for your word, a heart to love you, and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Benedict of Nursia (6th century)
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