You don’t have to go to church anymore. You don’t have to drag the kids out of bed with threats of dismembering them if they don’t get up and get dressed for church. You do not have to fight for your time in the bathroom to do your hair. It doesn’t even matter what you wear! No more dads in the driveway, tooting the horn and trying to get everyone to church on time. No, because you don’t have to go to church anymore.

   You don’t have to worry about feeling awkward around unfamiliar faces or shaking hands or giving hugs during the miserable time in the service they call “passing the peace.” You don’t have to remember names and faces or figure out who belongs to whom. You do not have to fiddle to find your wallet when the offering is passed or worry about whether you should sit or stand during the liturgy. No more signing up to help in the nursery or help with potluck dinners, yard sales, or outreach. No, because you don’t have to go to church anymore; you can just watch it online!

   It seems like every church these days has found a way to make the service available online. Virtual church helps to include the homebound, who would otherwise be excluded. It is also a great way to shop for a new church. You eliminate the awkward, “Where do I sit” and “I hope I do not look like a visitor” (which you are) or waiting for someone to genuinely greet you, which they rarely do. You can observe worship style and sermon and determine if the church might be a good fit for you. It is a safe, noncommittal way to look for a new church family.

   WAIT A MINUTE!

   The digital church was never meant to replace the in-person church. Watching church online is a passive experience. Who sings along with the hymns while watching the service on your phone? Who really bows his head and closes her eyes and joins in the prayers? Is this authentic worship?

   The word for “church” in the New Testament means “assembly.” If we aren’t together with other people, we are not being “the church.” Fellowship happens when we gather. When we don’t go to church, we miss out on the Eleanors who remember your kids’ birthday every year and celebrate their victories and pray with you through their trials. You miss Larry’s jokes that have a way of making everyone smile. You don’t get to see the mentally-challenged adult light up when the pastor mentions her name. Or you don’t get to see the excited children running from children’s church, showing off their craft project to all who will stop to admire it. When you don’t go to church, you don’t see the young woman in tears because her daughter is on drugs, and you don’t see the group of women around her praying for her. When you don’t go to church, you don’t get to experience the movement of the Holy Spirit, which brings deeper commitment, tears of repentance, and joyous celebration of God with us.

   Online church is an option that too often becomes a habit. According to the Pew Research Center, twenty percent of former church goers are choosing the virtual church. When we opt out of in-person church, we mock the beauty of community that God intends for us to have. When you are not seen, you are not missed. When you are not spoken to, you are not held accountable. When no one asks how you are doing, you will not be able to tell them.

   Fellowship happens when we gather. Vulnerability happens when we assemble, and the Holy Spirit moves when we pray together.

   So go to church!