In the last two to three weeks, it has been near impossible to have a conversation with anyone without first discussing the virus in the room. COVID-19 (Corona) has taken SO much of our attention and mental capacity and so in keeping with where our attention currently is, I have decided to take a break from the usual story telling of my worship journey and share my thoughts about worship during the world wide pandemic.
At the beginning of this week, the president of my country, South Africa, placed strict social distancing rules in our fight to break the viral spread. The decisions that were taken had businesses, universities, schools and houses of worship all re-consider how we engage our relevant communities. Most of us having bought some time are now trying to find innovative ideas to reach and connect with our people.
This had me thinking a lot about worship. What would worship look like if the church cannot get together, how would it impact us as a community and why do we follow the rules set out before us?
Firstly, I’d like to make clear a few things. Some of you may know this but some may be hearing this for the first time. Worship is not the music that church goers sing on a Sunday morning. Praise and Worship is often a term we use to announce the time of song that we share on Sunday mornings, however, it is more of a description of what is happening. We are praising our God and worshipping Him for who He is to us. Music is just the medium that we use. We could recite the same lines without a melodic groove and it will mean the same if we acknowledge who we are reciting to. It’s just easier with music. (I could go deeper into this but for now, I think you get my point).
Secondly, the church is not the building that we go to but rather the people inside the building. The church is made up of every believer of Jesus Christ. We are the body and we are His bride.
Back to my questions… What would worship look like if the church cannot get together? Every time I lead worship, I pray that God would do something in every person’s heart – not just for that moment but that it would lead into worship throughout the week, something they can take home. As worshipers, our worship should inspire others to worship Jesus. With that being said, I see this as prime opportunity for households to bring back worship in their homes. I see fathers – leading their children to the feet of Jesus. I see children understanding that they can pray to Jesus any time of the day and they can sing songs to Him ALWAYS! I see families worshiping Jesus. It may look different for every home – some might still use music; some might read their favourite Psalms and some might even talk to each other – saying what we are thankful to Jesus for. Either way, the church not coming together in a traditional sense gives us the opportunity to bring Jesus back into our homes.
In times like these, I believe that we will truly see the strength of the church. Standing together through prayer and support. Not only in our own lives but also in communities we find ourselves in. (SIDE NOTE: One of our pastors had the thought of perhaps asking the elderly what their grocery list is and going to get what they need for them, keeping them protected in their homes. What an amazing idea!) This is an opportunity to stand together, united. We could meet in smaller groups and share the things that God is doing in our lives. (At the time of this blog post, South Africa is not in lock down). Whatever it looks like, the impact this will have on our church communities is GOOD! More people will understand what it means to BE THE CHURCH and share the LOVE of Jesus!
There is a Corona related video doing the rounds of the South African Chief Justice reminding us that the South African National anthem is a call to prayer. It is rare to find a politician who would be so bold. I went back to read the words of our National Anthem. It is beautiful. God bless Africa! As the church we are not called to be lawless – we need to support our National Government in the decisions they have taken. We follow the rules because we understand the weight of the problem, we follow the rules because we understand the authority in our land, and we follow the rules because God is SOVEREIGN in EVERY SITUATION.
Let no virus steal glory from the one who gave up His life.
Much love,
Hayden
A Worship Diary 