Tiny Little Things

As the pandemic strikes, everyone stays home, and churches go digital, the people “serve” in the music and worship teams, multimedia teams work extra hard to make the needs met. But how is that different with just a mere performance with a church logo on it? How does online worship sessions different than any song cover videos? What about the copyright of each song when the church decides to put it online for the public to see?

Worship performance

Worship service flows with songs, prayers, and sermons, and the congregation could relaxingly join from their homes lying on their couch, sometimes with pajamas on. What was a joke several years ago about virtual worship service is now becoming reality. While the servers and ministers serving the Lord (and the congregation) with reverence and fear, building one another up in Christ, those who watch at home may not. When the worship team jump and shout for joy to praise the Lord, the congregants may also do the same with all family members, but they might also lay back on their couch (or bed) taking a sip of coffee. Where is the “one to another” part, where is worship “in one voice” served to the Lord?

Without the congregation actively put their part in worship with one accord, online service with “just” songs and sermons may look like a performance. It is one-sided without the active responses. It is a challenge for the church to pastor their real church (the people) to offer their worship to God. It is a challenge to keep the church not to present the audience a worship performance, but to offer the unity of worship to the LORD.

Communal worship

People need to worship, and churches do whatever it takes to keep the routines happen. One thing is missing, the interaction between congregation. It is good to see and hear many churches encourage their members to have family as church in fellowship and devotion during or after every online service, because that was what the church cell is (Eph 5:22-33); for us to practice the word of God to one another (Col 3:12-16), but not all churches may have concern about that.

The challenge now, and in the future after the pandemic (as we hope so), is to keep the involvement of the congregation in worship. If it does not happen onsite, it is the time to make it happen. It is the call for churches (and Christian fellowships alike) to bring what’s onsite, online. If we are to dress up nicely coming for church, dress up nicely too for online service. If we stand up and jump and sing loudly during church service, let’s do the same during online worship. It takes up discipline huh? Yes, but we are to offer it to the LORD right? Right. It is to remind us that as the LORD comes and be glorified in our church worships, we’ll also glorify Him who comes on our online service.

Let’s worship the LORD as our sacrifice of praise to Him, until the LORD comes! Maranatha!