Go to church

We are several months out of even the most limited pandemic restrictions. I cannot remember the last time I wore a mask. When I see someone wearing a mask, it feels nostalgic - a reminder of a strange time when that person was the norm and I - the unmasked one would look strange.

Despite the fact that we can break the 6-foot barrier and admire the lower halves of other's faces - I have been surprised at the number of Christians I meet who are just NOW starting to return to live worship services. I understand the lure of the live stream worship experience while sitting at home on the couch - worshipping in sweats and hot coffee in my mug - much more appealing than a hard couch and no coffee.

I've also met believers boldly walking away from regular church attendance and proclaiming they can worship God anywhere - including the pickleball court. Nature is my sanctuary.

"God’s Spirit and gift of salvation are not defined by church walls. But without an embodied community of believers, we’re limited in our ability to learn how to love other followers of Jesus." - historian Daniel Williams musing on those who have left church attendance behind.

I might be bolder than Williams and suggest it's impossible to learn how to love other followers of Jesus without being in a close community with them. We love well that which we know well. True love does not exist in the abstract - it has to be personal. If I say I love the Ukranian people, that statement is almost meaningless if I cannot prove it with a lived testimony of a personal connection with an actual human being.

If you are a Christian, start attending a local church. Go every Sunday, even when you are bored or it is boring. You need those other believers around you and they need you. And then join that church - plant your flag, commit.

And then you will grow deeper in your faith and in your ability to give and receive love.