For Everyone
The spring of 2020. Yes, you remember exactly where you were when you realized that the world as you knew it had come to a screeching halt. To be honest, there are weekends that life is so crazy I almost miss that year….ALMOST! There was a peace in the simplicity that we were forced into. But one thing that was evident that year, God has created community for a reason. It was very evident that year, at least to me, that life alone can seem fun for a minute, but it also leads to complacency, leaning into comfort, and if we are not careful blindness to our own self-reliance.
As restricts lifted and we were once again coming together, it was evident to me that things would never be like there were pre-2020, for good and for not-so-good. But, one of the “good” things, in my eyes, is the undeniable need for gathering for church services to worship our Savior together.
Matthew 9: 12-13 says, “ When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”
Prior to the shutdown of 2020, church was important to me, but I had fallen into a rhythm of church rather than focusing on the worship. The forced isolation created space for me to evaluate my heart and what I needed. In the above verse, Jesus reveals the heart of God to the people, that he does not desire sacrifices (passionless routine) but mercy (loving others as God does). Jesus says here that he did not come for those who “think” they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.
2020 forced me to look inwardly, to evaluate what side of the spectrum I was on, and to choose where I needed to be. When we were able to be together again, there was renewed passion and commitment to each other as a church family and to God with a new zeal for true worship.
It is easy to fall into the comfort of isolation, being deceived into thinking that you are “good enough” alone. Jesus reminds us here in Matthew that we need more than ourselves, we need him. May we be a people who never forgets that we need Jesus. May we be a people of mercy, seeing others as God does. May we be a people known for sharing our weaknesses to make much of God’s strength. May we be a people who treasures worshiping our Savior together, building each other up, and igniting our fire for the Lord as we see how Jesus is healing each of us.
Daily Reading: For Everyone
Matthew 9: 12-13