Meeting God When You Can’t Go To Church

I have really missed sharing this sanctuary with the people of Good Shepherd.

We are facing a new challenge: how to be the church when we can’t share space together? The routine of showing up for worship on Sunday mornings and other regular church gatherings is so important to many of us for growing together.

So how do we do that now?

I’ve been thinking a lot about something I read last year in Rabbi Abraham Heschel’s book on the Sabbath. Rabbi Herschel said that Sabbath is a sanctuary built in time instead of space.

We most often think of worship in terms of where it happens…and the things we fill in the worship space…crucifixes, pews, altars, stained glass…

That’s not wrong, but our encounter with God also happens in the dimension of time, not just space.

Suddenly, for people around the world, the world of space has closed in. We can no longer gather together in the spaces we used to. But maybe, some opportunities have opened up for you in the dimension of time.

I invite you to encounter God in a sanctuary built out of time. Designate some time in your day to meet God. Set apart 20 minutes of your day and discover its holiness.

I want to share a few resources that help me to do this:

1. The Psalms

   This is low tech…they’re in the Bible you already have! For centuries, Christians have read the psalms at certain times of the day (look up the Liturgy of the Hours). The psalms bring a wide range of human experience and emotion into God’s presence. They are challenging and comforting, and they have been the prayer book of God’s people for thousands of years.

2. Daily prayer

   You can approach daily prayer in lots of different ways. One website I have used for years comes from the Lutheran Church of Honolulu and can be found here. It weaves together prayer and scripture reading for use throughout the day.

3. Daily Lectionary

   While our church hears multiple scripture lessons every Sunday, we still only cover a fraction of the Bible. Throughout the week there are daily readings that dig deeper into the biblical texts. Monday through Wednesday the Revised Common daily lectionary looks explores the readings from the past Sunday, and Thursday through Saturday, they look ahead to the next. The easiest way I’ve found to use this resource is a website called DailyLectio.net. Each day, just go the site and that day’s texts are waiting for you.

I encourage you to use these resources — if they help you. Don’t let the technology distract you, God has made time holy long before there were smartphones, computers, or even printed Bibles. The point is to encounter God in the time that you have.

Since we can’t be in here together, let’s be in prayer together.