Articles
Disorientation
“Disoriented” is probably the way many of us felt this week as our normal routines were disrupted by “Winter Storm Jonas.” Our lives are shaped by many things: work schedules, school, shopping trips, etc. When something as paralyzing as a massive snowstorm hits, many of our routines are broken or altered so as to make the day feel “strange.”
For dedicated Christians, it is especially disorienting to miss worship. Not being able to meet throws more than Sunday off; it bends the entire week out of shape. For us, Melanie was home on Saturday, a normal work day for her. So Saturday didn’t feel like Saturday. Then we couldn’t assemble on Sunday, so Sunday didn’t feel at all like Sunday. That got the week started on the wrong foot only to really foul things up when we couldn’t meet for Bible study on Wednesday either.
But not being able to worship should be more than just a schedule change. Something vital is missing. Seeing fellow Christians; getting updates on what is happening in their lives; remembering the Lord’s death on our behalf; singing and praying together – these are things that ought to be making deep impressions on us as we live week to week.
Do you think this was God’s intent in providing that we worship together regularly? Habits can become ingrained just because they are repetitive elements of our lives, and we can return to them quickly after the interruption. But our joint worship should not be merely a habit; it is engaging with each other on the highest spiritual level. Forsaking it (Heb 10:25) is an alarming symptom, sort of like finding a lump in your body that isn’t supposed to be there. It is an indicator of something more serious.
Maybe your job interferes with regular assembly. If elements beyond your control take you away from the local church frequently, try not to let that absence feel like your norm. Keep connected. Prioritize in your heart, not just in your schedule, assembling with the saints at every opportunity. Voluntary absences are opportunities lost to grow closer to one’s spiritual family. And if you think, “I’m feeling pretty strong right now; I don’t need to study or worship with the church,” remember that your absence deprives others of your resources. Someone may be in spiritual need, and you might be the perfect one to offer a word of encouragement or guidance. But the Lord can’t use you if you’re not there.
