By Rev Anthony Lee
The start of the Covid pandemic more than two years ago has propelled the need for online worship. Online worship arose as a concession for people to continue worshipping on Sundays despite the Covid situation. It was never meant for the purpose of convenience (or worse, consumption), and should be seen as a last resort rather than the default option.
While online worship at home has been necessary, over time, there has been unseen and untold damage to the spiritual lives of congregants. Ground reports from zone leaders have painted a spiritually lazy and lethargic picture of Christians.
With the recent relaxation of measures, and our nation’s posture to live with the virus, we need to return to physical worship services to re-vitalise our spiritual lives.
- We are not free to choose as we like
Deuteronomy 12 records,
5 …you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, .. 7 There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you. 8 You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit…
While these Old Testament instructions pertain to a specific place of worship (i.e. Jerusalem Temple), the main point is that we are not free to worship in any way we prefer. In fact, the Bible clearly exhorts us, “Not to give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
- Our physical presence conveys honour
During Chinese New Year, my children asked me, “Why must we go house to house to visit? It’s so tiring.” My reply to them is simply, “Because we honour and respect our elders. Our physical visitation is a visible sign of respect and honour.” Likewise, our physical presence as God’s people gathering in His Name, honours Him.
Some of you may wonder, “But isn’t God everywhere? Even in our homes? The answer is “Yes, God is everywhere, and while we can and must worship God at home, God has also instructed physical gatherings (see point 1 above). At the end of the day, action speaks louder than words. Our physical presence at worship services not only affirms our membership vows but is a practical demonstration of honour to God (Luke 4:8).
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