Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him. (Deuteronomy 7:9)
As churches decide to reopen sanctuaries and gather again for worship, each congregation will have to make decisions with respect to federal and state health guidelines as well as their own prayerful discernment. The session that I serve as pastor framed our decision as a covenant relationship, which entails responsibilities for both the church and individual worshippers.
As implied by the verse from Deuteronomy, the biblical notion of covenant is more than just a list of rules and regulations. It defines a mutual relationship in which both individuals or parties promise to uphold certain duties and responsibilities for the well-being of one another. In terms of God’s covenant, the Almighty always bestows more grace upon us than we could ever return — “grace upon grace” (John 1:16).
Because our goal is to provide worship opportunities for everyone in the congregation, this meant we created covenants for indoor and outdoor services.
From the church’s side of the covenant, we crafted policies for indoor and outdoor settings that maintain social distance among nonfamily members, provided PPE (personal protective equipment, such as masks) and altered the components of the service to limit close contact. We have improved ventilation in the sanctuary. We are able to livestream the worship service, and then we make the recording available online. And we encourage those who are of age and medically able to be vaccinated — and have a team of volunteers to help as needed, whether finding an appointment online or providing transportation.
In return, worshippers are asked to covenant to wear a mask and maintain social distance, including keeping their children within loving reach.
Details may differ in other church contexts, but I want to share two motivations for gathering in person that I believe justify the extra effort.
The first is a spiritual motivation. Celtic Christians believed in so-called “thin places” — locations where the boundary between this world and the next becomes almost permeable as if heaven had drawn near. A thin place provides the paradox of being highly attuned to your immediate surroundings, yet aware that there is more beyond your mere senses.
Not every sanctuary service provides deep spiritual revelation. Take it from me — sometimes the preacher lays an egg!
But worship is more than the words themselves and the people who offer them. There is the gift of peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Irish poet John O’Donohue wrote, “There are no words for the deepest things.”
We can experience these “deepest things” almost anywhere, yet the feeling comes more often in sacred spaces. Many people desire a thin place for their spiritual fulfillment.
There is also a pastoral motivation to gather in person for worship. There is so much grief in our society. COVID-19 has taken lives and jobs. Not everyone has suffered the same losses, but all of our members have lost routines and activities that once structured their days. As the pandemic has worn on, some have lost a sense of purpose for their own lives. Still others fear that they are losing hope.
Before the pandemic, worshipping in community was one of the most meaningful and consistent activities in many people’s lives. Even a little bit of time on Sunday morning can make a difference in the week ahead.
The congregation I serve follows the science and closely monitors the virus in our local community. We will continue to provide online worship options for those unable to attend or who feel more comfortable at home. We also believe that our covenant allows people of every age to safely and meaningfully worship together.
The importance of reopening should not be overstated. A church is more than its buildings. We are still called to address the injustices that remain outside our sanctuary doors. There will still be grief in the inner chambers of our hearts. We should not place our resurrection hope in any human activity, but only in the Living God.
And yet, it is worth every extra effort to meet the spiritual and pastoral needs of our people. Following federal and state guidelines, as well as best practices from other congregations, we hope to find our way back into our thin places. We trust that the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty shall continue to bestow grace upon grace.
