The governor of Indiana has lifted the ban on church services if
appropriate social distancing measures are in place, and yesterday was my
church’s first experiment with inviting people back into the pews. The pastors
and deacons didn’t expect social distancing to be a problem because they
assumed most people would continue watching the livestream for a while, and
they were right. We could even have filled a few more pews, although the
communion elements might have run out.
The picture shows only half the sanctuary and doesn’t include the
people sitting under the balcony, but it gives you an idea of how full the
church was. Since the virus is still out there, though, the attendance probably
wasn’t bad.
Choir is unlikely to reconvene before the fall, so any special music
consists of solos and family ensembles. That’s why I was in the balcony—to sing
a solo for the prelude.
Listening to the recorded version afterwards, I wasn’t happy with my
performance. Fortunately, people’s memories of my execution will be fleeting,
and that’s as it should be. What’s important is not HOW I did but WHY I did it,
which was to praise God and give Him glory. If that’s what my solo conveyed,
then it was successful.
As I looked down on the congregation, I thought how different
everything looked. But as I participated in the liturgy, listened to the Word,
and took communion, I was reminded that the important things are unchangeable.
God does not change, nor do the scriptures nor the sacraments He has given us. As
it says in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever.” (ESV)
And no pandemic can change that.
