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I’ve been a churchgoer all my life. I’m not bragging. In fact, it was a little over the top when I was growing up. We went to church every Sunday and Wednesday; we went to church when we were on vacation. We’d walk into a church hundreds of miles from home, fill up a pew, sing hymns, put money in the offering plate- the whole nine yards. We’d even go to church when we were camping, dirty clothes, no showers and all. We never missed. And I’ve pretty much followed suit in my adult life. At this point it may just be muscle memory. I wake up on Sundays, get dressed and go to church. I’ve been doing it so long I don’t know what else to do on a Sunday morning. That was, until March, 2020. With the pandemic- everything changed. I discovered the wonder of waking up a little later, having a cup of coffee and then lying on my couch and turning on whatever virtual church service happened to float my boat that day. I even missed virtual church a few times (scandalous). But I have to tell you it was actually kind of fantastic. Studies suggests that many people had that same experience. In fact, many have been slow to return to church, post covid.
Unfortunately, I fear we’ve lost much more than simply going to church, I fear that we’ve lost what Elijah and Elisha discovered together in this week’s text. In the book of 2 Kings chapter 2:1-12 Elijah and Elisha are walking along together and every time Elijah tells Elisha he doesn’t have to stay with him Elisha says the following “as the Lord lives…I will not leave you. So the two of them went on together.” 3 times Elijah tried to get Elisha to go it alone and each time Elisha says “…I will not leave you.” When I read this text, it reminds me of the power of doing something together. Elisha stays by Elijah’s side even when Elijah gives him a reason not to. Elisha teaches us the power of two; the importance of doing something in community. The isolation is nice at times; watching church on my couch alone with a cup of coffee had some perks. But I worry that we lost much more than our attendance at church. I fear that we have lost the power of being with others. The Bible tells us “wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in my name I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20 According to the Bible it’s when we gather with others that God is more likely to show up rather than when we try to go it alone. There’s a sacredness to being together with others. As Elisha shows us in today’s text- the power of two is better than one trying to go it alone. I encourage us to return to church or to pick up our phones- make play dates- have coffee- schedule lunches- form small groups. We must force ourselves to get off our couches- with the knowledge that we’re more likely to experience God’s presence when we’re in the presence of 2 rather than an isolated one. We need to commit ourselves to rediscovering the power of two.
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