The Churches are Closed but the Kingdom of God is Not
By Rev. Thato Mere, 19th District
To a non-believer, a church is nothing but a building. It is four walls where people congregate just to make noise and shout out to an invisible, non-existent, and illusionary super-power. To a Christian and believer in the word, the church is a place of refuge, centre of hope, and a fountain that oozes healing and power. It is a communion of sinners and saints gathered in a meeting called by God where they get to indulge in a spiritual experience and feel the presence and power of the Almighty. A Church brings broken and shattered souls together to fellowship, praise, and worship the living God. It is a space where repentance is sought and fulfilment attained. To every Christian, being in this sacred sanctuary is an opportunity to express, beyond lip service, the words of the psalmist, “I was glad.” It is the greatest joy.
All this was seen flying out of the windows and doors of reality when the Christian community had to close its churches’ doors owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the globe rendering us helpless as indeed we were treading through unchartered waters. For many believers, the fountain of hope seemed to dry up, faith was shaken, despair was the name of the game, lights dimmed, prayers became toil, and hymns became a discord sounding like a piano whose strings were off tune. This was when even a Bible verse became incomprehensible and all that went through minds and mouths were questions. For many of us, the situation was like the Israelites during their days and nights in the wilderness. It was frustrating! Who shall we run to during times of trouble?
South Africa, like many other countries, was placed on lockdown. When the state president, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, announced this news and some of the strictest restrictions to daily life movements all in an effort to help curb the spread of the virus, many Christians were left shattered that they would not be meeting in their respective places of worship. However, the Lord intervened and raised men and women of the cloth to bridge the gap and adopt a new way of bringing God’s children together.
The virtual church, in its newness to many, proved profitable to souls and spirits during the period that seemed all dark and gloomy. Indeed, this demonstrated the might that is in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Whatever weapon formed against God’s children has no business in prospering.
Pastors within the 19th Episcopal District established what they dubbed “A Church on WhatsApp” under the banner: The churches might be closed but the Lord’s Kingdom is not on lockdown. Through harnessing the power of technology and social media platforms, pastors shared worship and preachment of the Word to keep members’ spirits moist and steady the ship as these proved to be a true beacon of hope. It is humbling to have also seen how hungry God’s people are for His Word. In the end, church buildings may have been closed, but God’s Word remained accessible.
