I really appreciate this article from Matthew Merker.
One of my prayers for this time of separation is that we would all more fully appreciate the gift of gathering together as a body. It is definitely something that we are tempted to take for granted (who doesn’t like being able to watch a sermon in his pyjamas?)…until it becomes something that is removed as a possibility. As we begin to think about what our gathering looks like when the day comes (and it will come) that we will be able to gather again, my sincere hope is that the time apart will make us more excited to gather, not less.
As Merkel notes, a local church is an assembly. It is a gathering of believers who have committed themselves to one another, an understanding of the Gospel, and a commitment to follow the Lord Jesus together; holding one another accountable along the way [incidentally, this is why we have covenant membership: it is a way of visualising our desire to commit to one another]. Of course, this group of people is still a church even when not assembled, but it takes on its full expression only as it is able to meet together. Think about it: where else can we fully express the “one another” commands we see in the New Testament? Where else can we celebrate the ordinances which have been given to the local church and are embodied acts? We need the assembly in order to fully express what it means to be in covenant with one another. This is one of the reasons that we have not offered an online communion service. We believe (and this is not to be critical of other churches who have made the opposite decision) that the nature of the Lord’s Table as a shared meal together requires that we are physically gathered together. How sweet it will be when we are able to, once again, eat together in celebration of our Lord Jesus!
So, let me encourage you to wade through and reflect upon Merkel’s article and to look forward with joy to the day when we will be able to be together physically. Please let it come quickly!
[If you’d like to listen to some sermons I preached a couple of years ago on the local church, they are linked here]