Reasons to Go to Church, pt. 2

One of the most interesting developments in employment is the emergence of “remote work.”  I have a neighbor from central California who bought his home in Spring Lake so he could enjoy summers here.  All his work is remote, so he can live wherever he chooses.  There are a lot of advantages to remote work.  You can avoid the daily grind of traffic and wasted time commuting to your place of employment.  Working from home also trims a lot of the fat associated with a work day.  Chit-chat around the water cooler or copy machine is no longer cutting into productivity.  This can also save the company a great deal of money by having a smaller office (or no office at all).  As many as these advantages are, I’m still left with a question: how does physical, human interaction impact the quality of our work?  Does it make it better?  Or do we lose something?

I think there is a lot to gain from the emergence of “remote church.”  Members who travel or go south for the winter have been able to stay connected to our church through the weekly live stream.  People on vacation can watch from their hotel room or campsite or go back later to “go to church.”  But I have the same question: how does physical, human interaction impact the quality of our experience of church?  Church is more than music and a sermon.  It’s the collective beauty and brokenness of the gathered saints.  If attending a live worship service isn’t for you anymore, please make contact and community with your brothers and sisters in Christ in some way.  We need each other.  And we need to see each other.