By: Whitney Prewitt
As we prepare to return to corporate worship, I am both excited to gather again and nervous about how worship gatherings will look. To help prepare my heart for the return, I’ve been praying for the following for our church family.
1. That we will have appropriate expectations and prepare for a degree of disappointment. When I consider how returning for gathered worship could look, I envision slow-motion runs in the parking lot, bear hugs in the lobby, wide grins from fellow church members, exuberant congregational singing, fail-proof livestreams, and perfectly-behaved children. Yet, most of those will not or should not happen. In nearly every way, this is not an ideal scenario for corporate worship, and our idol-factory hearts are bound to be disappointed when our expectations for corporate worship are not met. I am praying that we are excited and eager to return, but I am also praying that our excitement is tempered by the weighty reality that our corporate worship is not meant to be like this forever.
2. That we will embrace the grief of what isn’t right. We can’t hug each other. Many of our members won’t be able to join us for many months. We will attend different services than members we enjoy and miss dearly. Instead of glossing over this grief, I am praying that our mourning would lead us to our knees, that we might look more at Jesus and long more for the time when we can all worship again together as one family.
3. That we will have zero funerals. We are eager to gather again, but we are also aware that sickness could hit our church family. While we will take every precaution we can, we are not immune to the coronavirus. I am praying that the Lord would be gracious to keep our church family healthy over the months to come, and that our members who are most at-risk from the virus will have everything they need to remain at home.
4. That we will not fear one another. Our masks cover the smiles that remind us of our care for each other and instead may serve as a reminder of danger—infused with the face and eyes of a friend. Yet, though they might carry the virus, other humans are not the enemy. We can and should maintain appropriate physical distance from one another, but I should not fear my church family. I am praying that we smile deeply with our eyes, remember our affection for one another as a family, and continue to find ways to express our care for each other from a distance.
5. That we will give up self for the sake of another. I remain convinced that the deadliest threat to our church family during this season is not the coronavirus but the sin of selfishness. We could remain physically healthy and still end up a broken mess of disunity and dissension if we refuse to lay aside our preferences, opinions, and rights for the good of our brothers and sisters. I am praying that we rejoice to lay aside our own lives to become uncomfortable and inconvenienced for the benefit of others in our church family, and that we would follow well as our pastors lead us.
6. That we will be wise and humble as we walk. As this continues, we may be tempted to lighten restrictions, ignore guidelines, or speak as an expert when we shouldn’t. Yet, one of our goals should be to walk well with one another and in the midst of our community. I am praying that we continue to follow the lead of government and health officials, consider one another’s physical health as significant, and make every effort to follow guidelines provided to us. Even more, I am praying that we speak kindly, listen well, and assume we don’t know all the answers, showing ourselves to be above reproach, wise in our interactions, and humble before men.
7. That we will grow in Christlikeness. The Lord, in His providence, has given us this season of church life to steward. It is not an accident and has not escaped His notice; instead, we know from God’s Word that He uses every aspect of life to sanctify and grow us. I am praying that we would view this as a unique, God-given opportunity to practice laying aside our wants and needs to care for one another, and that we will look more like Jesus when it ends than we did when it began.
8. That a treatment will be found. We may be in this exact position many months from now, grieving what we’re missing and looking forward to a time when we’re back to a semblance of normal. However, we also know that the coronavirus will continue wreaking havoc until a treatment is found or until the Lord ends it another way. I am praying that the God who created and sustains all things will end the devastation created by COVID-19 sooner rather than later, and that we would endure with patient expectation until then.
This list is in no way exhaustive, but hopefully it’s a start. I would encourage you to add whatever you like to this list, and pray for our church as we prepare to return to gathering for worship!