Beyond the Mask

Image by Antonio Cansino from Pixabay 

“Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life.”—Proverbs 4:23, The Voice

A few days ago, the governor of California caused a stir when he issued an order to shut down all indoor church meetings in many counties hardest hit by COVID-19. The virus' surge in California has been so significant that the governor, as with most every other governor in the country regardless of political party, acted on the advice of state health officials to once again try to flatten the curve. So, the state re-issued strict health guidelines for all indoor gatherings, not just churches. The guidelines also impacted the closure of things like indoor dining, movie theaters, bars and museums. (People have argued about the hypocrisy of not stopping protesters and looters who don’t wear masks, which may be true, but this is about what happens indoors.)

The order also did not say churches (of all faiths) could not gather. Just not indoors, and just temporarily. It came on the heels of another controversial ruling a couple of weeks ago that attempted to stem the tide without closing churches: all must wear a face mask/covering at all times, and refrain from singing. "What?! Not being able to sing while in church? That’s just crazy, and it’s just wrong. How on earth can anyone possibly worship like that?" And so, the state's most recent ruling seemed to some like piling on.

Not surprisingly, the response on social media included everything from the virus scare being politically driven, to they’re unfairly singling out churches, to this thing is all being manipulated by the media (some truth there, actually), to “I see no need to wear a mask anyway and no one is going to tell me if I have to wear one, and besides, God will protect me.”

A good friend of mine, who is a Christian medical professional on the frontlines in California, tried to calmly inject first-hand experience into one conversation, but she was mostly ignored or talked over. I get it. There is so much conflicting information out there, you don’t know what or who to believe anymore. Except I know and respect this friend on the frontlines, and I know and very much love and very much respect my daughter who is also on the frontlines and whose messaging has been the same: The virus may not be as bad where you and I are at the moment, but it is not going away soon and it is not a conspiracy. It is, however, definitely evil and random and unpredictable, it doesn’t care whether you are Republican or Democrat, and it doesn’t care if you think you are invincible, even while in church. 

People in the medical field have said that learning new things every day about COVID is so crazy, it’s like flying a plane while building it. So, I’m learning to try to tune out all other opinion and listen only to those I know and trust who are seeing the virus up close and personal, and then take it to the Lord and put it in His hands, even if I don’t get it or like what they’re saying—like, as is the case in my state, wearing face coverings while in church. It has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with trying to be a good neighbor, because those whom I trust and have “been there” say wearing face coverings is what seems to be the most successful interpersonal deterrent at the moment.

But there’s more to it than that. In the process, I’m finding that this is all touching a deeper nerve beyond indoor worship gatherings and wearing a face mask. This virus mystery and the headlines from California are also messing up my ideas about worship. In a good way...

...I’m learning that maybe there are some things God may want to uproot when it comes to preconceived ideas of what worship should look like. Like this virus, it can be easy to think you have worship all figured out, until you realize you don't...

...And though the virus is most definitely a thing of evil, I am beginning to wonder if that while God is at work in perhaps ways we cannot see, that He is also allowing this time to be one that can strengthen His Church as never before by getting it to think outside the box. Things like:

• Don’t get hung up on the song. Singing is definitely a vital part of our worship life and should never cease (and if it does, look out for those boulders crying out!). But how many times have we been told that the worship doesn’t stop when the music stops? Always sounds good in theory but what if my governor one day ruled. "you guys can still gather to worship, but keep your mask on and please no singing for awhile to help stop the spread of this thing." (Honest knee-jerk reaction? "No way!") After taking a deep breath, I hope my reaction would be more constructive: what if we used that normal singing time to pray earnestly instead as part of our heart of worship?  What if we took Jesus at His word when He cleansed the temple of moneychangers and said “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations”? And what if that time of focused prayer in churches across the country became more than a temporary trend, even when the singing came back, and triggered the revival we are all longing for?

• Don’t get hung up on place. Jesus told the woman at the well that real worship is not confined to buildings or methods like order of service and songlists but is of the heart. So, if and when the music stops for awhile inside the building, why not take it outside (California health officials actually alluded to that possibility) where it is safer…and not only that, where the people are who would never darken a church door? Where social-distanced prayer and ministry could take place?  I'm not sure how that would work in winter, but let's not mention the W word yet. But not only that, no one can stop you from singing at the top of your lungs at home (by yourself or with a few friends and family) or in your car, either. It’s all sent Heaven-ward. Imagine what God might do if we started thinking wonderful things like that outside the box of our worship paradigm instead of insisting that things be like what we’re used to?

• Don’t get hung up. Some are saying, “I bet Jesus wouldn’t wear a mask!” Yes, but only because He is God and unlike us, He knows exactly what is going on. Nevertheless, Jesus always, always had compassion for the everyday people He encountered, who He once said looked like sheep without a shepherd. And He had no problem weeping with those who wept, as in the death of His friend Lazarus. It’s all part of living the greatest commandment: to love God with all you’ve got, and then go love your neighbor. Selflessly. This too, is worship turned right-side up. What if we all did likewise? Imagine what our witness could look like?

I'm trying to picture the Church in upside-down worship like that. It would be different and maybe a bit uncomfortable. But as baseball ramps up again this week, I would hope that my response would be the words of former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling during the “Reverse the Curse” season of 2004:

“Why not us?”

"I'll bring You more than a song, for a song in itself is not what You have required. You search much deeper within through the way things appear, You're looking into my heart. I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You..."

— Matt Redman