Distractions In Worship

Be Strong, Be Well — Monday, June 15

Those who have been back out for our public worship, know we are taking some necessary precautions in the midst of the pandemic. But it occurred to me how some of the things we are doing, because they’re different, may be distracting and we might lose sight of what we are doing in worship.

We have always stressed the need to concentrate while partaking of the Lord’s supper. It has been a challenge even prior to the virus. Our concentration could be jarred by some distraction. We also had to stir up our mind to remember not to partake of the communion thoughtlessly or merely out of habit.

With all the changes that have been made to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, it seems as though we are having to concentrate even more diligently.

Some great ideas are being used to accommodate the extra precautions. Having the unleavened bread put into individual bags is convenient. The disposing of the cups using the same bag is working out well. The tape between the pews is easily removed for our men to pass the trays for the fruit of the vine and collection plate and still maintain social distancing.

These are all good ideas. They’re just different ways to do what we’ve always done in partaking of the emblems of the Lord’s Supper. The novelty of these new things will wear off and become normal as time goes on. We may be doing the Lord’s Supper this way for quite some time.

We must be careful not to allow anything (new or old), to take our mind off of the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 are still true no matter how we take the Lord’s supper.

“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.” —Chris