“Watching Church” Is A Spiritual Oxymoron

It's been said that golf doesn't only produce character; it "reveals" it.  The same thing can be said about a pandemic.  When COVID hit, the character of people, communities, workplaces, families, and churches was revealed.  Reactions and decisions ranged from practically NO closings to complete closings.  It's the church I want to focus on today. 

Some churches closed their doors for close to two years.  Others closed for far less time, and others had a wide-open policy.  Now that the pandemic has passed, we have a history to learn from.  I do not want to argue about which reaction was "correct" because the question would be, correct for "what" or for "who"?

However, we can now see the ramifications of a closed church policy.  The closed church policy ushered into the church a habit, a choice, and a new lifestyle for Christians.  Churches became sophisticated in presenting worship services "online" (remotely).  People got used to "watching church" from home for an extended time.  Christians slowly came to believe they could treat worship like many treated their jobs; they could do it just as well from home.

Worship is not like a job.  Look up the word "fellowship" in Scripture.  Google the number of times the words "one another" or "each other" are said in God's Word.  Look up the gifts of 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 and see how many require human-to-human contact.

Christian worship is meant to be more of a gym than a stadium.  A gym has no spectator seats.  When you enter, you are expected to exercise, not watch others do it.  A stadium church is a place where people come to watch others sing to them rather than sing with them.  A stadium Christian has come to believe worship is passive, instructional, informative, and to be watched.  A stadium church is a once-a-week experience.  A gym Christian does activities, hard work, and participatory actions several times a week.  They work out.  They are serving, caring, calling, giving, helping, and growing others in their life and faith.

Let's come full circle.  The excuse for a COVID type of worship is over.  Those who believe that watching church from home is biblical and adequate cannot back that belief up with Scripture.

"Watching church" is an oxymoron.  It's far past the time to break the habit of passive, remote, non-participatory worship and return to both weekend and weekday involvement in the life of your Christian church.  Christianity is not a spectator sport.  It's a gym, not a stadium.