One of the saddest parts about this pandemic for me has been not getting to go to church each Sunday. Having to stay home and go to online church has been weird to say the least.
I joined my church a little over a year ago and I have loved becoming a part of its community.
My small group is just that- a small group. There are three of us there on average each week. Sometimes it’s just me and the teacher, which I actually really like because then I’m able to get one-on-one time with her.
I stopped going to small group in July and August 2019. I would either be gone traveling on a Sunday or I would have been out late the night before and so I decided to sleep in on Sunday and just go to “big church” (the main service).
(Does anyone else still call the main service big church? Is that a Baptist thing or just a thing my church growing up did?)
Anywho, I got back into going to small group each week in September. I’ve been able to get to know the other girls there a lot better from that and by this point I know several other people in my small church too.
But then self-quarantine happened.
And my church, like many others, decided not to meet in person for the safety of the community.
The first few Sundays were weird. My roommate and I usually go to different churches, but she started watching my church’s live stream with me each week.
I liked being able to roll out of bed at 10:28 and go into the living room, still in my PJs, to watch church at 10:30.
Below is a picture of my roommate and me on Palm Sunday (I had changed into normal clothes for this picture LOL). She had made “palm branches” out of tall grass for us to wave during the service.
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Easter was weird.
Usually my family and I go to my grandparents’ church and then have an Easter luncheon with them.
This year obviously looked different.
I watched church with my roommate like always, but this time we both were wearing dresses. It was Easter after all!
Then she and I, my family, and my brother’s college roommate and his sister (who lives in my apartment complex) went to my grandparents’ house for what we called a “social distancing” picnic.
We took lawn chairs and ate outside, making sure to stay away from them.
We still took our traditional bench picture at the front of their house, but this time we all stood wayyy far behind my grandparents.
Now online church is just normal.
I wake up about 9:30, get up about 9:45, do a quick Pilates routine with The Balanced Life, change into shorts and a t-shirt or something nicer depending on my mood, then go in the living room, grab something for breakfast, and sit on the couch to watch church with my roommate.
I’ve gotten comfortable singing out loud in her presence which is a new thing for me- usually I don’t like singing in front of just a few people. In a crowd at real church I don’t care because no one can hear me. By myself I don’t care, because it’s just me. But usually, I’m too shy to sing where people can hear my voice. It makes me feel awkward.
But through this I’ve learned not to care. I’m singing to worship God and that’s what ultimately matters.
What will church be like post-pandemic?
My boyfriend often wonders aloud that he’s curious to see what church attendance will be like once we’re all cleared to go back to gathering in the church buildings.
He thinks a lot of people will just keep streaming online since they’ve discovered how convenient it is.
I disagree. I think that people will be longing to gather again in a community after this long time of isolation.
And I’m sad to say, I’ve fallen prey to the temptation of sleeping in and watching church online instead of going to the actual building too many times than I’d like to admit.
Or worse- sleeping through church and then saying to myself, “I’ll watch the recording later,” but then I never do.
It’s one thing to do this when I’m sick. It’s another when I’m just being lazy. 😬
Watching church online has taught me the value of actually going to church.
Church is a blessing.
We are able to learn about God with other believers. We are able to worship Him together. And we are able to become friends with other Christians our age AND Christians who are in different life stages than us.
I don’t know if you’ve ever struggled with not wanting to go to church on a Sunday morning before, but I know for a fact that I do NOT want to give in to this temptation in the future. Once I’m able to go to church again, I want to go!
I miss it. More than I thought I would. 😕
Watching church online has also emphasized to me that Church is more than a building.
This is something that I’ve known ever since I was a little girl. I remember my Sunday School teachers telling me our church was just a building, but THE Church is the people who make it up. The people who follow Jesus from all over the world.
That’s why we can still have church even though we’re not in person. Church isn’t a building; church is people.
My pastor has been reminding us that in Acts the first believers didn’t go to a church building to worship. Instead, they attended home churches, much like we’re having to do now.
It is encouraging to realize that the pandemic ultimately cannot stop the Church from worshiping God. Christians will continue to worship Him even if we have to do it online from our living rooms.
What has online church been like for you?
Do you think people will be more tempted to stay home after the pandemic or do you think people’s desires to go to church will have grown?
Let me know in a comment! 😊
Also, let’s be Instagram friends!
Megan
Hey Kara! I’m from New Zealand and we’ve had our restrictions lifted now so we can all go to church! The best thing about going back together was singing all together as a church 👍 Sleeping in on Sundays in lockdown was definetly nice but nothing beats real church 😅
Kara Beth Post author
Yay!! I’m so glad you’re able to go back to church!! And I agree, sleeping in was great, but church is better :)