It’s surreal as we hunker down in our own homes and worship apart. I’m an introvert and should be loving the seclusion, but I also crave the physical gathering of the body of Christ as we gather together. There is a visceral connection in-person that simply can’t be made virtually. Years ago when I lived overseas in a closed country where there was no church as we know it here in the west, I craved the bodily presence of other believers around me and the freedom to praise the name of Jesus without fear of the governing authority. During that time I listened to the recordings of worship services from home and would often wind up in tears, weeping over the beauty of the voices of the church gathered together. It gave me a deep longing to be with the church, and though I was far away, I could feel the Holy Spirit presiding across the distance. One of the greatest truths while apart was that God was yet near even as I was thousands of miles away.

Dear Christian, as we are scattered in this time let us remember not to give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25). Though we are apart, let’s remember that the church of Jesus Christ is an eternal entity, so may we encourage one another all the more as we look forward to that day when we will be united forever in His eternal kingdom. Until then, may our hearts yearn to be reunited in person again soon.

A lot of life seems chaotic right now, both personally and in our nation. There is a temptation when things are spinning from control to rage with fury to combat the tide, or on the flip side, to check out completely. I almost don't want to hear what the latest is sometimes, so count me in the camp of closing my eyes and plugging my ears.  Unrest is not new. Things have been to topsy turvy for a long time now...since Genesis 3, in fact, when things were turned hell bound because of the Fall. 

What, then, do we do in the present chaos? As citizens of a heavenly kingdom, we make known the qualities of that kingdom - peace, justice, mercy to name a few - we incline ourselves to see those principles manifest in our present. The church of Jesus Christ presses forward, rolling up her sleeves, placing herself squarely in the chaos, and announcing a future kingdom that promises that things will be made right again. 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10

Last week the Supreme Court sanctioned gay marriage in all 50 states, inciting a flurry of celebration from its proponents. While I anticipated the majority nationwide approval, the decision was also warmly received from many in the Christian community, which was the more surprising response.  The churches of Pergamum and Thyatira received a strong rebuke for their tolerance of sexual immorality (Revelation 2:12-24). To those who remained firm in faith, the exhortation was to "hold fast what you have until I come." (v.24)

With much grace, the church of Jesus will persevere.

There are many thoughtful resources that hold to biblical authority that I encourage all Christians to investigate, including this well-written and highly readable book. 

A thoughtful plea to Christians embracing gay marriage can be read here. 

Recently the Gospel Coalition published an article on "Why the Church Needs Intergenerational Friendships." I'm a big proponent of gathering generations of believers together in the church. It makes a statement about the breadth of the body of Christ, and it is also how the Apostle Paul prescribes Titus to preserve sound doctrine within the church (with older women teaching younger women, and older men teaching younger men - Titus 2). I agree that you have to push through discomfort to make these intergenerational connections work. We do not naturally gravitate towards those of different generations, and I still have to get over my own intimidation issues in my mid-30's (with younger women being way cooler than me, and older women being way too busy to bother). I find too that younger women often have an idealistic picture of what an "older" woman should look like (never flawed, abounding in wisdom, the perfect wife and mother) and older women convince themselves that they are too broken for younger women to want anything to do with them.

Yet when we get over ourselves, there is something all together redemptive and beautiful when men and women of different generations gather. It reminds us that we are all in need of Christ, in every generation. And it encourages us to live "self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:12b-13) The coming kingdom inaugurated by the return of Christ will have a fullness that we only now have in part. Generations worshipping together gives us but a glimpse!