Pajama Church
The most important journey is only 18 inches.
What did we really learn from the lockdown?
I know hindsight is twenty-twenty, but still, if we don’t want to repeat mistakes, we have to stop and identify them while they are still fresh.
My purpose isn’t to blame anyone. We all got on the roller coaster and took the ride. The question now is, would we, under similar circumstances do it again?
I hope not. I hope we are capable of serious introspection and change.
But what if the next pandemic is worse?
Well if it is, I vote we don’t wear masks if masks have been shown to be ineffective.
I vote we go back to old public health rules where we quarantine the infectious and protect the those most medically compromised while the rest of the population keeps working and/or going to school.
I vote we do what we can to mitigate risks early to reduce hospitalization. If the first allowable medical intervention is admission to ICU and placement on a respirator, then the medical system is broken.
I vote we don’t turn our lives over to unaccountable bureaucrats.
And finally, I vote we keep going to church and meeting together as is our custom.
The church is a refuge not an optional tourist destination. We don’t go when convenient. We go because this is what the body does to remain connected to one another and with God.
Part of lockdowns was attending pajama church. We would see services on zoom. And this now has become a popular alternative to meeting together.
I get the logic, except church is more than logic. It has to do with hearts. Somehow, what we “learn” must travel eighteen inches or so south to our emotional center. That’s where the magic happens, the glowsticks break, and Shekinah Glory pours out through us to one another and to the world — especially when darkened by disasters like pandemics.
Hard for this sort of miracle to happen when we are in our pajamas watching church online. That’s my 2 cents. What do you think?
This heart-brain connection results in resolve and courage. That's why the journey is vital to abundant living. Disconnect the two and we get thinkers and feelers.
As believers we are all part of the body of Christ. It is impossible for a body to function well for long when its parts aren’t connected. Paul in prison in Rome entreated Timothy to “come before winter” in IITimothy4:21. He longed for the physical presence of other believers, particularly the one he loved like a son, not just letters from far away. I think the lockdown created similar problems that unfortunately are still felt by some.