In addition to the “normal” trials we experience, we are now in the midst of a pandemic. Around the whole world, people are struggling to cope with life while battling this microscopic enemy. There is fear as a result of the likelihood of coming into contact with the virus.

The question has been asked, how can we worship in the midst of this trial? Where do we get the energy or motivation to worship? And how do we go about doing it?

In A.D. 2020, the word worship is typically used to describe the singing portion of the Sunday service. In many churches, the place where the congregation gathers is called the “worship center.” The word worship conjures up visions of people with eyes closed and hands raised in happy abandon to the mood of the music.

The problem is that in the midst of difficult times, we probably don’t feel any sense of euphoria or even much gratitude. We are legitimately concerned and distracted by the news coverage and the constant barrage of worldwide statistics. We may struggle to find our equilibrium in the chaos around us.

I think that we must start with a discussion of what it means to worship. To worship literally means to ascribe worth to the object of worship. It is to recognize and acknowledge the value of another person. In the Christian context, we believe that God is the ultimate object of worship because He is the ultimate in worth.

As Christians, we are reminded that what we know of the character of God is revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us:

“For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6, NASB

We have knowledge of the glory of God by looking into the face of Jesus Christ.

But it is fair to ask, what difference does this make when we are facing massive societal disruption and a plague of this magnitude?

As I write this, we are two weeks away from celebrating Easter. On Easter, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It reminds me that the Jesus that promised that he will overcome the world (John 16:33) is the same Jesus who proved he can do it by defeating death. The resurrection changes everything.

Our mood may be subdued because of our circumstances. We may have difficulty in facing our fears. We may be dissatisfied with how we’re responding to the crisis. We may have loved ones at risk for health or economic struggles. We may even be working toward a crisis of faith as a result of these challenges. But, we have Jesus, who conquered death and promised to be with us to the end (Matthew 28:20).

My favorite prayer in Scripture is found in Mark 9:24 where a father says to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief.” In response to that prayer, Jesus healed the son for whom the father was pleading.

I mention this story because bringing our concerns to Jesus is an act of worship. We bring them not only because Jesus cares about them but he also has the power to do something about them as he did by healing the son in Mark 9.

Our honesty about where we are and what concerns us is an act of worship of the highest value to God. It may not be pretty, it may be really raw or rough around the edges, but God loves for his children to seek Him in the hard times.

That is how we worship in the midst of trials.

There is something in men and women that desires control over our circumstances. We don’t want to be manipulated, we want freedom to forge our own destiny. Christians understand that this desire can be traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve made a conscious choice to rebel. In a sense, our first parents said to God, “not your will but mine be done.”

But when we encounter a natural disaster or a rampaging disease, our illusion of control is temporarily stripped away. In the case of COVID-19, our current pandemic, we fight an enemy that we can’t even see.

Certainly, we must do everything we can to stop the spread of this disease. We need to exercise our creativity to find a cure and heal those who have been infected. Our mandate to do this can be traced to creation, when God tasked us with subduing the earth.

But, as Christians, we need to do these things with the reminder that we are under-creators, we are to be in submission to the ultimate Creator, God.

My prayer in response to the COVID-19 virus is two-fold. First, I pray that the spread of this horrible disease is stopped quickly and that we can prevent further loss of life.

The second part of my prayer is that we learn from this that while we have some control as part of our mandate to subdue the earth, we do not have complete or ultimate control. I pray that many will turn back to our creator in acknowledgment that only He brings order out of the chaos.

None of us know how this disease will impact us individually or as a society. All we know for sure is that for some amount of time, we cannot go about doing the things we were doing only a month ago. Our lives have been disrupted and real people will be going through real pain as a result.

But my hope is that in our pain and as a result of the disruption, we turn to our Heavenly Father as the ultimate source of comfort. The words of the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism come to mind and I will close with them:

Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own, but belong — body and soul, in life and in death —to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Copied from The Reformed Church in Ameria web site.

To watch the spread of the COVID-19 virus as it goes, well, viral, I am amazed and a little bit in shock.

So many of the things we previously took for granted now seem comparative luxuries. Never before did I wonder if touching the key-pad to enter my PIN will expose me to a life-threatening disease.

Many of us live in parts of the country where we are discouraged from going out in public. Restaurants, bars, theaters, libraries, museums and every other venue where people might gather are now ordered to close down.

As we are in public, we touch surfaces that have been touched hundreds of times in the previous hours. Handrails, elevator buttons, and door handles now pose a threat that was never considered before by most of us.

But here we are. We are thinking of these things now.

A friend recently referred to the societal shutdown as a “collective pause.” Like it or not, the social distancing forces all of us to step back from our normal routine and hopefully reflect upon what is really important.

But I am running up against a little bit of disbelief in myself as to the scope of the problems that this virus is causing. I look at the numbers continuing to climb, but I can’t fully connect all the dots to how this will impact us in the long term.

Maybe this is caused by my own naivety during previous epidemics. But the fact that so often the term “unprecedented” is used to describe our situation tells me that others are struggling to get their heads around it also.

Many church leaders, more qualified than I am, have written about how the church should respond to this outbreak. I can add little to what they are providing as far as an operating plan for the church moving forward. What I can offer are my own reflections on how I view this on a personal level.

First, this outbreak reminds me that we live in a world that is beautiful but flawed. The birds are still calling out their good mornings from the trees. The sun still came up this morning and the trees are beginning to show signs of waking from their winter slumber. Rather than absent-mindedly perusing the COVID-19 statistics, my time would be better spent in reflection upon the gifts that I have been given and thanking the giver of those gifts.

Secondly, the fact that nothing like this has happened in my lifetime also supports the Christian idea of common grace. I do not want to take for granted the fact that I have lived a relatively trouble-free life. This is the first issue that has caused real national distress in my lifetime. I attribute this to God’s grace and should thank Him for it.

Thirdly, I am reminded that we have been promised by Jesus Christ that someday he will return to fix the broken parts in creation. While we are called to use our intellect and skills to respond to problems, we are ultimately dependent upon God for our sustenance. So I should acknowledge my dependence upon God and ask for guidance as to how I should respond to this crisis.

And lastly, I am reminded that God’s ultimate desire is for our holiness rather than our happiness. The New Testament provides multiple reminders that we will face trials as Christians. Yet, history shows that God has grown his church in both depth and numbers when the trials have come. God can, and will, use this crisis to draw us into deeper relationship with him.

I close with Jesus’ words as recorded in John 16:33:

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Before removing a fence, a wise man will seek to understand why it was put there in the first place.

When I look at many churches today, I wonder if they have ever heard this proverb. What I see is a forsaking of anything that could be considered traditional coupled with a full embrace of any new method that will promise to fill the pews. The old ideas and boundaries are declared to be out of date and are cast aside as unnecessary.

One such boundary is the need for humility in leaders of the church. Knowing, as we ought to know, that each of us carries the taint of original sin, leaders should welcome the input of others as they speak into our blind spots.

Humility used to be a trait to be admired in church leaders. Pride, after all, has always been considered one of the seven deadly sins.

But, in too many expressions of the local church, the pastor takes on a role that puts him on a pedestal. The life of such a church is centered around the personality of a celebrity pastor.

Knowingly or unknowingly, such a pastor has allowed himself to take on responsibility that ultimately is not his. He has usurped the responsibility for building the church from the true builder, Jesus Christ.

In an attempt at appearing humble while doing this, such a pastor might refer to himself as the “vision caster” or executive leader of the local church. When he does so, this is a signal to me that he has lost sight of his true role as under-shepherd and defender of the flock.

Usually, this usurpation is in response to church growth methodologies that seem to emulate the structures of successful business enterprises. These leaders have chased the shiny lure of “bigger is always better.”

In my experience, every instance of the pastor taking on this type of role, the pastor felt pressured to surround himself with those who agree with him. Thus he works himself into the position where his ideas never get challenged. While this makes it easier to get his ideas implemented, it is usually disastrous for the church. As a result, the “pastor” becomes a dictator rather than a shepherd.

How many examples do we need to see of mega churches falling into disarray when the pastor leaves the ministry due to age or scandal before we figure out that personality centered churches are not a great idea?