The Essential Church

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Let's be sure to get one thing straight: the church is essential. 

I came across a news report about Alberta's plans to introduce greater restrictions while avoiding full-on lockdown. The article did, however, mentioned a few voices calling for strict lockdown. One such group is called Masks4Canada, which, judging by the name, was formed within the last several months. The article included a copy of their open letter to Premier Jason Kenney. In it they brazenly call for the closure of indoor activities, including "places of worship." However, they later concede that "every effort should be made to keep elementary schools and daycares, which are essential services, open for in-person learning" (italics added). 

And here we run into just one of the many problems facing us right now: who gets to decide what is considered essential and, therefore, worthy of making "every effort" to keep open? Masks4Canada pops up out of nowhere and, with a seeming wave of the hand, informs you and I that church is non-essential without any explanation. Meanwhile, public schools and daycares are essential and should remain open. Why? Why are those more important? Who decides? What criteria do they use to determine what is essential? Why is it worth taking some risk to keep schools open, but not churches? 

It is not surprising to me that unbelievers do not view church as essential, but my concern is Christians being all too ready to concede the point. Don't do it! The Lord Jesus said that His food was to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). When faced with the cares of this world, Jesus instructed his disciples to first seek His kingdom and righteousness (Matt 6:33). What is more important and essential than spiritual nourishment and the kingdom of God? Certainly not our public school system. 

It is worth noting that God does not save individuals only to instruct them to go off by themselves and be nourished. Reading your Bible and praying in private is a most excellent and good thing. Even so, the Christian life is not a solitary one. No, he baptized you, Christian, into the body of Christ, which is the church. He gave you gifts that others need, and gave others gifts that you need. Together, the church grows up into maturity in Christ (Eph 4:15) which includes, among other things, "being knit together [with other believers] in love" (Col 2:2). These things are essential and involve the need to gather.

Not only does the Bible lead to the obvious conclusion that the church is essential--being bought by the blood of Christ and all--but we even have rights in our own Charter of Rights and Freedoms that Masks4Canada would do well to understand before dismissing us. Consider the first line in the Charter: "Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law." I understand that many people in Canada suppress the truth about God's existence (Rom 1:18-23), but this doesn't make him disappear, nor does it change what the Charter says. And if one thing is essential in a country that recognizes the supremacy of God, would it not be safe to say it is worshipping him as he calls us to? Indeed freedom of conscience and religion are the first rights guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

My point, really, is that Christians should not be sucked into this notion that church is non-essential. It is simply not true, no matter how bombarded we are from media and experts. Repeating the claim often doesn't make it so. This doesn't mean churches should just steamroll over all precautions. That's not what I'm advocating. But, it does mean that we should unashamedly hold fast to the notion that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One preeminent in all of His Creation, is indeed, essential. And, we should act accordingly. Do you believe this?

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