The Heart of the Matter

“Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.””                         (John 4:21–24, NLT)

The scene from the mini-series “The Chosen”, where Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well, arrested me. How does that story apply to our life today?

On March 15, 2020, our government announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we would no longer be allowed to meet in groups larger than 15 people. The week before, we had been told we could meet but not have any physical contact, no handshakes, and no hugs.

“This was going too far! This was not normal, and it was not okay. We are made for connection. How are we supposed to be the Body of Christ with no contact, and without meeting together as a whole congregation?! We love each other and want to spend time with one another.”

It has been 11 weeks and finally a small crack has opened, allowing groups of up to 50 people to meet while still enforcing physical distancing.

I have heard everything from “I am so glad our government is working hard at keeping us safe” to, “What right do they have to keep us from gathering together? After all, does it not say in the Bible we (Christians) are not supposed to stop meeting together?! What is church if we can’t sing? What is church if we can’t shake hands and hug and eat together? What is church without fellowship?” What is church indeed?!

Each of us has our own preferences of connecting with God, props and practices that help us come quickly and easily into his presence. When these are altered or removed, it’s easy to despair and wonder how we’ll ever be able to get them back or be able to connect with God without them.

Some of us have gone to church our entire lives and now that we can’t go, we feel lost and alone. We sing that Jesus is all we need; that we’d rather have Jesus than anything. But now that we cannot attend church as we always have, is Jesus still all we need?

When all is said and done, what is the real purpose of meeting together in a church for a Sunday morning service? Can we achieve that same purpose outside the walls of the building in smaller groups? In our back yards? Is it the way in which we worship or that we worship that is the reason the Church exists?

God is not impressed with church practices and programs. What he is interested in, is our hearts, our undivided hearts.

“The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT)

“You [God ] do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:16–17, NLT)

God is after your heart.

Perhaps we are not ready to worship God in a building until we have learned to worship him alone, in solitude, without props, in our hearts, where the Spirit of God lives. What if God is inviting us into a friendship with him that goes beyond the familiar and comfortable?

I’m not saying we should cancel meeting together. That would not be healthy. What I am suggesting is that perhaps we have put too much emphasis on the how, the where, and the what, and have lost Jesus in the midst of it all.

I miss my church family very much. I love singing together, and just being together in the same place. But for the time being, I have had to make some adjustments. I’m uncomfortable much of the time and yet, I am experiencing a great deal of joy as I see God at work around me and in me.

Our religious freedoms have not been taken away. We are still allowed to freely talk about God. We may post/watch sermons on-line. We can freely play worship music and sing along to our heart’s content. We are free to get together with friends in small groups, pray together, and even eat together. The way in which we do it is what has been altered.

Could it be that we have made going to church an idol in our lives? It is possible to put more emphasis on spiritual disciplines than on God himself? I invite us to wrestle with the questions I’ve asked and get totally honest with ourselves and God before we head back to church.

I wrestle with a similar issue when it comes to how I observe my Sabbath. My Sabbath Rest day is to me as the Sunday morning worship service is to many others. The props I have used to come into God's presence are very dear to me and I am deeply disappointed when they are not available to me. I must come to the place of relinquishing them before I can expect anyone else to relinquish theirs. Some days I can and others it is not so easy.

Sabbath for me is a day set aside to have an unhurried time with the Lord in my devotional chair, no appointments and nothing pressing to have to attend to. A special breakfast late in the morning that Tom and I prepare together. A second cup of coffee while we share with each other what we heard during our time alone with God. Usually at some point we have a delightful time of lovemaking (What?! You didn’t know pastors did that?☺). We step back from that which we ‘should’ do and do only that which we ‘get to’ do; things that pour back into us and fill our tanks. Some of our favourite props are bikes, canoe, camper, campfire, feast. When I am in the middle of a calm lake on a warm sunny day with my sweetheart, in our canoe, I can instantly feel the presence of God. It almost takes no effort. Can I let go of that? (Just ask my friend Chrisie, she’ll give you the real answer:/)

The purpose of Sabbath is to be realigned and centred on Christ and his will, to make time and space for him to fill and refresh my soul. Props are a great aid in the journey—but  not required. They are good gifts from God to help draw us closer to him. It is far too easy for me to put more value in the prop than in my relationship with God. The litmus test: am I more bothered that my props are taken away, or that I am not connecting with God personally and intimately?

What is Jesus whispering in your ear today? Why not just sit for a spell and listen to him? Come with empty hands and no expectations. Come with an expectant heart, ready to experience his presence. Come with a heart eager to obey, even if it’s uncomfortable. Let him set the agenda.

My opening verse, from The Message:

“But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”” (John 4:23–24, The Message)

Could COVID-19 be a gift from God? What do you see as God’s purpose in this time of exile? Are we allowing him to transform our hearts or are we wasting the entire time whining about the ridiculous limitations our government has placed on us?

I found the following quote by Leslie Dwight on FaceBook.

Let’s unwrap the COVID-19 gift and see what God has in store for us.