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1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.
*Psalm 122.1, 9 (NLT)
25Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.
*Hebrews 10.25 (CEV)
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A new Pastor in a small town took the the first four days making visits to each of the members, inviting them to come to his first services. The following Sunday the church was all but empty.
So, the Pastor put a notice in the local newspaper. It said that, because the church was dead, all persons on the church roll had a duty to give it a decent Christian burial. The funeral would be held the next Sunday afternoon, said the notice.
Curious, a large crowd turned out for the "funeral." In front of the pulpit, they saw a closed coffin and smothered in flowers. After the Pastor gave a eulogy, he opened the coffin and invited his congregation to come forward and pay final respects to their dead church.
Filled with curiosity as to what would represent the corpse of a dead church, the people eagerly lined up to see into the coffin. Each "mourner" peeped in and, then, quickly turned away with a guilty, sheepish look.
What did they see? In the coffin, tilted at the correct angle, was a large mirror. Each saw his or her own face.
* * *
The Psalmist penned music so worshippers could express their elation at gathering to Jerusalem and entering, with other members of the faith community, the confines of the Temple.
The prophet Isaiah envisions a like enthusiasm among persons anticipating pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the Temple to worship and learn sacred teaching:
1 This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house
will be the highest of all—
the most important place on earth.
It will be raised above the other hills,
and people from all over the world will stream there to worship.
3 People from many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of Jacob’s God.
There he will teach us his ways,
and we will walk in his paths.”
For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion;
his word will go out from Jerusalem.
*Isaiah 2.1-3 (NLT)
In a similar way Zechariah, another prophet, prophecies of peoples streaming to Jerusalem to worship:
20 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: People from nations and cities around the world will travel to Jerusalem. 21 The people of one city will say to the people of another, ‘Come with us to Jerusalem to ask the Lord to bless us. Let’s worship the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I’m determined to go.’"
*Zechariah 8.20-21 (NLT)
In reality, the church is a people, not a place. Yet, sacred space shared by a people is important - yes, vital. Often this place is called a church. Whatever it is called, such a gathering and gathering place is essential to the faith of anyone following Christ. Gathered worship is the central happening weekly in the life of any congregation.
And when persons can no longer attend due to health, the church is to go to them in visitation, encouragement, and ministry of the Eucharist. Holy space, church place, is to be formed with them in their place of confinement. They need the gathering of faith community, and not just the visit of the Pastor.
Laity need training to be able to perform such visitation in the absence of the Pastor and with him or her, too. Ministry in such situations by a Pastor does not mean the gathering of laity to their ill or infirm brothers and sisters in God is not needed and essential in the life of a Christian congregation.
And the survival, thriving, and vitality of a congregation is so only through the people having love for the site of worship and the event of worship. Decline and death of a congregation will, almost always - if not always -, be linked with a loss in the vitality of worship, respect for the place of worship, and laziness and negligence in attending the shared event of weekly worship as one Body.
True, spiritual worship together symbolizes and strengthens a people as being the Church, as well as guarding the unity of that people as a People, not merely a collection of individuals sharing a space for an hour or more weekly.
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in continuing his ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers or the Cokesbury on-line store, cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist Pastor, lives in Southwest Florida. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and seeks to inspire others to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the Church through addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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