People of a certain generation (read: my generation) will remember the 1982 hit, “Should I Stay or Should I Go?”, by the punk rock band, The Clash (should i stay or should i go - Bing video). For some, that might be ancient history. For others (like myself), it seems like yesterday. As we head into the summer months and start to reclaim a bit of normalcy in our lives following the pandemic, it’s the title of this almost 40-year-old song that I’d like to focus on.
“Should I stay or should I go?” This question is probably one that lots of churchgoing people are asking themselves these days. Should I stay home for a while yet and see how things unfold over the summer?
Or should I start going back to in-person worship services? People of good faith find themselves on both sides of this question. With restrictions being eased as announced by the Governor of Virginia late last month, all remaining COVID restrictions have now been removed. Even with this, not everyone is ready to return to life as it was pre-pandemic. It’s going to take time to make adjustments as we all decide what is going to be best in each of our situations. Recently, someone shared an interesting story with me. This individual had a regularly scheduled appointment each week through much of the pandemic. When she showed up without a face mask (as allowed by the governor’s lifting of the face mask mandate on May 28), the receptionist asked her to put her mask on as that was the requirement for this particular setting. When she had done so, the receptionist then responded: “Oh, I didn’t recognize you without your face mask! Now I know who you are.” We’ve come full circle, haven’t we? Remember at the start of the pandemic when facemasks were starting to be worn, and we didn’t always recognize people because of the facemask. And now, more than a year later, we have become so accustomed to seeing people in facemasks that this seems normal and routine – so much so that we don’t recognize people unless they are wearing facemasks.
“Should I stay or should I go?” There is good reason to consider returning to worship that is in-person. To step outside of our usual routine and step into the house of the Lord with fellow worshipers engages our senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell. We worship with our whole person: body, mind, and spirit. One of the big things that was missed during the pandemic is the blessing of being physically present with one another. There is blessing, comfort, and strength within the Body of Christ when we gather together to hear the Word read and proclaimed, to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving not as lone individuals, but as a congregation. Having said this, can we not continue to worship online via livestreaming? Absolutely! Our own congregation has devoted significant resources to strengthen and augment our livestreaming capability to do this very thing. The truth is that it will take people and congregations some time to come before everyone is ready to return to in-person worship. Does this mean that everything will revert to the way things used to be pre-pandemic? No, it does not. There are many lessons learned, as well as blessings received, from the time of the pandemic. Simply to go back to the way things were is to return to what may be familiar and comfortable, but that may not be what the Lord would have for us as we look to the future. I firmly believe that worship, as well as many other things in the life of the church such as learning and education, meetings, etc., will need to factor in a digital presence. Why would we want to go back to in-person meetings of boards and committees when Zoom meetings have worked so well? The age of digital or electronic meetings is here to stay, allowing for much greater flexibility (as well as shorter!) meetings. What’s not to like?
There may be compelling reason for some people to continue with online worship vs. in-person worship. As many people have said over this past year, there’s something really inviting about just staying at home in your pajamas, having a cup of coffee, and participating in online worship on Sunday morning. Maybe there are health reasons, or sick children, or being away on travel. With online worship, none of these things mean that we have to be absent from worship anymore. There are no restrictions or boundaries for online worship. People from around the country or around the world are welcome and invited to join us and be blessed through our worship services as we give glory and praise to our Triune God. Again, what’s not to like?
“Should I stay or should I go?” As with many things in life, I believe the way forward is both/and, not either/or. I believe the way forward will be both in-person worship and virtual or online worship. As we discern what all of this is going to look like, patience and understanding with one another will be vital. We can’t look into someone else’s heart and know what is there, but we can and should “put the best construction on everything,” as Luther writes in his Explanation of the Eighth Commandment, in which God calls us not to bear false witness against our neighbor (Luther’s Small Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther (cph.org).
As the summer begins, may this be a time of grace and blessing from the Lord’s hand as life begins to open up for all of us.