Sometimes it’s the little things that stick out. I don’t mean face masks, but I am thinking about faces.
As we’ve asked for feedback regarding our return to worship indoors, I’ve heard from multiple people that an unscripted comment I made on our first Sunday back caught their attention. We had finished singing (the second song because getting through the line took so long) and I encouraged you all to look around at one another; these are your people. I’ve mentioned before that I try to make eye contact with many of you all around the room while we eat and drink, but I should clarify that it’s not because I think there’s special grace channeled through a minister’s sight. I am often the presiding minister at the Lord’s Table, but I am also a member of the body.
Communion is personal, yes, because we are saved one-by-one by Jesus into fellowship with Him. And yet there is a way to look around and see some more of what He bought for You. He bought you forgiveness, He bought you a clean conscience, He bought you eternity, and He bought you friends, co-laborers, brothers and sisters, fellow-members who encourage and challenge and serve and speak all in one body.
You may remember Jesus’ death with your head bowed and eyes closed, and great. You may find it awkward to look around in a formal, liturgical setting. Maybe one day we’ll assemble in a configuration that puts more persons in your periphery. But in the meantime, you’re not more spiritual because you avoid thinking about the body that Christ knit you into by His body and blood.