Those of us who are blessed to have gardens have probably spent a record amount of time in them in 2020. After all, for a large chunk of the year we weren’t able to go anywhere else! Never have garden fences been in better order. Many of those trying to buy seeds found them backordered. And of course, we have been allowed to meet people in our gardens, when we haven’t been able to have them in our homes.
Even for those without their own gardens, Stranraer has some great communal gardens, such as the Garden of Friendship, and the community garden at the hospital.
One lockdown Sunday afternoon, at the Garden of Friendship (aka the Rock Garden), I noticed an inscription on one of the big rocks:
‘The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One’s nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth’.
That ties in with something I hear quite often as a minister: ‘I don’t need to go to church to worship God’. In fact, as churches began to reopen after lockdown, some asked: ‘Can’t Christians just worship God at home?’. During the pandemic, broadcast and streaming services have reached people who wouldn’t normally come to church. One survey in May said that a quarter of UK adults had watched or listened to a religious service during lockdown. Perhaps those things should become the new normal? Maybe the coronavirus pandemic has simply brought Scottish churches into the 21st century?
Well certainly no-one would claim that you can only worship God in a building. The seventeenth-century Covenanters, unwilling to worship in state-controlled churches, took to the hills and moors across the south and west of Scotland. In fact, during July and August we as a church met outside in order to follow God’s command to sing praise in worship, while remaining within government guidelines for churches. Members of my own congregation also worshipped outside during the summer of 1825 when the old building was taken down and our current building erected.
So while we don’t need a building to worship God, it’s still vital that we meet together. In fact, it’s not just Christians who recognise that. In 2013, the first atheist church service took place in London. An article in New Humanist magazine promoting the idea said: ‘We are a tribal species. We need communal rituals, songs to sing together, not alone in our rooms’. As Christians, we have Jesus’ promise that he will be present in a special way when his church meets together. We also have a command ‘not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some’. In fact, the very word ‘church’ means ‘assembly’ – so ‘online church’ is an oxymoron.
One of the long-term effects of COVID-19 will undoubtedly be more people working from home – bringing both advantages and disadvantages. But even if working from home proved to be wholly positive, that wouldn’t make it a good model for church; church isn’t a business – it’s a family. The New Testament is full of the language of ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ to describe Christians’ relationships to each other. Christians were people who ate together, and who lived out commands to ‘love one another’, ‘accept one another’ and ‘show hospitality to one another without grumbling’.
One of the big concerns for many of us at the moment is whether we will be able to meet up with family for Christmas. Christmas dinner via Zoom just wouldn’t cut it! If coming to church is no different to hearing a university lecture, then you could do it remotely. But if it’s a family meeting together in the special presence of God, any online equivalent will just be a pale shadow of the real thing.
None of this is to decry the use of technology. In 2020 I’ve had more online meetings with fellow church leaders in other parts of the country (and beyond) than ever before – some of which will continue post-COVID. In our own congregation we’ve long made use of the internet to post recordings of sermons. And while we stopped live-streaming our services once the shielding period came to an end, we are still glad to be able to provide a video link to housebound members.
Live-streamed services have provided a taster of church for many – but if the events of 2020 have stirred a spiritual interest in you, I would echo the words of Philip to someone curious about Jesus: ‘Come and see’.
Published in the Stranraer & Wigtownshire Free Press, 29th October 2020