September 27, 2020 (Sunday)
Today is Sunday. Many people will go to church in person today. They will be expected to observe social distancing and wear masks. It seems to me that my Christian faith requires me to avoid the possibility of spreading the vicious virus to others.
Not all churches require people to observe these restrictions. Churches I would be attending if I were to visit worship services today ask that the protocols suggested for the state of Texas be observed.
I will not be attending, because I am elderly and have cancer 
as well as heart trouble. It has been suggested that people such as I stay at home and, if we like, observe worship services online. That’s where I’ve been.
Locked In
Activities other than the main worship service are also being made available online using various types of software.
I miss going to church. I personally believe that fellowship is one of the major functions of a church. Normally, we meet, shake hands or hug, sometimes even plant a kiss on the cheek. I really miss the fellowship, the touching that our human psyche seems to require, not to mention the call of scripture to “greet one another with a holy kiss.”
The online preaching offers additional perks such as rewinding the recording so that I can hear again what my pastor said, just to be sure I got it right. And I can listen to the entire service again if I want to, enjoying the songs as well as the sermon. Not to mention that I am free to drink coffee as my pastor preaches.
The online services have brought many people to worship from all over the country. This may not have been expected and is a real blessing. The online services are completely non-threatening, so a person without a church home can listen objectively and consider what is being said without feeling that he or she is being pressured in any way. Viewers, however, are the objects of Christ’s claims as Lord.
Many churches have already declared that they will continue broadcasting the online services after we return to “normal.” Were it not for the necessity of online services during the pandemic, we may never have given worthy recognition of that method of spreading the Word.
You may not believe this, but as a pastor I observed members who used to sit close to the front move back a row, then another, then another, all the way to the back. Then they began coming off and on, hit and miss, with longer spells of absence until finally they quit coming. They were never again as happy as they once were when they were deeply interested in church and firmly committed to Christ as their Lord.
Let us all go to church today, in person or online. It will do us good. O Worship the King! (Click the hymn name to hear it).