{"id":40353,"date":"2020-05-19T13:11:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T18:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=40353"},"modified":"2020-05-20T11:43:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-20T16:43:04","slug":"reflections-on-church-meetings-in-the-church-of-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2020\/05\/reflections-on-church-meetings-in-the-church-of-christ\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Meetings in the Church of Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite quotes of all time about Mormonism focuses on the concept of Zion. \u00a0\u201cZion-building is not preparation <\/em>for heaven.\u00a0 It is <\/em>heaven, in embryo.\u00a0 The process of sanctifying disciples of Christ, constituting them into a community of love and harmony, does not qualify <\/em>individuals for heaven; sanctification and celestial relationality are <\/em>the essence of heaven.\u00a0 Zion, in this conception, is both an ideal and a transitional stage into the salvation toward which all Christians strive.\u201d[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Fiona and Terryl Givens have captured here what I find to be one of the most essential parts of my religion\u2014the development of a community based on love and discipleship to Christ.\u00a0 That, to me, is one of the core reasons for the Church\u2014to provide a place where we can begin to learn and practice the things that are necessary for us to live in a heavenly community, even though the lived experience often falls short of that goal.<\/p>\n

Now, there was something profoundly ironic about studying the founding of the Nephite Christian church during a time that we are unable to attend worship services in the modern Church in last week\u2019s \u201cCome, Follow Me\u201d curriculum.\u00a0 I was grateful for the chance to do so, however, since there will come a time, sooner or later, that the current situation stabilizes enough to return to regular Church meetings and each of us will need to make the decision about returning to those meetings.\u00a0 Beyond health considerations related to the virus\u2019s ongoing presence in our lives, there are individual considerations about how attending church benefits us vs. the home-based worship we\u2019ve been practicing.\u00a0 As I have been thinking about this for myself, I\u2019ve been pondering on things along the lines of: \u201cWhat are we supposed to get out of church meetings?\u201d \u201cWhat do I actually get out of Church meetings?\u201d \u201cHow do I want to refocus my efforts to improve\/change what I get out of church meetings when they start again?\u201d\u00a0 As is often the case when I start pondering on something, a blog post is born.<\/p>\n

Part of why this is on my mind is that there has been some online chatter in the bloggernacle about the possibility of lower attendance when Church starts back up.\u00a0 For example, Bishop Bill over at Wheat and Tares posed the interesting question: \u201cWhat if they opened church back up and nobody came?\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 He observed that he\u2019s seen discussions online lately where lot of people agreed that while home church is tough, going back will be harder, with some people expressing that they don\u2019t miss hearing false doctrine, getting children ready, fulfilling demanding callings, etc.\u00a0 The main exceptions he observed, were those who were single and missed the companionship they gained when attending church.\u00a0 In another example, Ziff over at Zelophehad\u2019s Daughters recently looked into Google Trends to try and glean information about change in interest in the Church during the pandemic<\/a> in order to see if there were indications that less people would be attending once Church opens back up and found that there were less searches about the Church in general in 2020, which could indicate less interest in the future.\u00a0 And, of course, there are individuals who are at high risk from the virus that will likely need to stay away from Church, as has been discussed in some of the comments related to these and similar posts.\u00a0 Time and the actual process of starting up Church again will tell.<\/p>\n

These discussions have caught my attention because I can relate to them.\u00a0 At church prior to COVID-19, I spent most of my time wrestling with a very cute one-year-old adventurer who made it hard for me (or anyone around us) to focus on the actual churchy things going on.\u00a0 Since the churches were shut down, we\u2019ve settled into a routine that works well for us and overall, I\u2019ve enjoyed having church at home more than I did having church at, well, church.\u00a0 Yet, time passing and reflection over this last week has reminded me that there are things that I do miss.\u00a0 I miss the music most of all\u2014singing congregational hymns, participating in the ward choir, and my time with the Bells at Temple Square.\u00a0 I also miss seeing my friends in our ward and catching up with them.\u00a0 And there were times that I felt the Spirit and was uplifted by sacrament meeting or the discussions we had in elders\u2019 quorum.\u00a0 It\u2019s the opportunity for community\u2014gathering together as disciples of Christ to practice Zion-building, strengthening and helping each other along the way\u2014that I feel much less chance to practice while sheltering in place.<\/p>\n

Now, as I mentioned up front, I have been pondering on what church is supposed to be about, partly through the lens of last week\u2019s readings in the Book of Mormon.\u00a0 After Alma\u2019s life-changing encounter with Abinadi, he began to \u201cteach the words of Abinadi\u201d among the people in private.\u00a0 Those who believed what he was teaching met at a place called Mormon, were baptized, and then began to be \u201ccalled the church of God, or the church of Christ, from that time forward.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 After fleeing political persecution, they established a community in the wilderness with Alma as \u201ctheir high priest, he being the founder of their church.\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Now, while Nephi and Jacob both mention the ideas of churches and had some sort of priesthood organization with teachers and priests that seemed to have continued on through Alma\u2019s time,[4]<\/a> there seems to be something new and significant about this church that Alma founded and continued to develop in King Mosiah\u2019s realm.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 It is unclear whether it was merely the idea of multiple congregations, each with their own priests and teachers, rather than one national congregation or assembly under the king and his priests that was the innovation or something else entirely, but it seems that Alma had started something new in Nephite religion\u2014something that Mormon found important enough to spend a relatively large amount of time and effort on discussing a failed Nephite colony to document.<\/p>\n

I bring this up because Alma\u2019s Church of God gives a glimpse into the heart of what church is about.\u00a0 At the waters of Mormon, Alma asked his audience the following:<\/p>\n

As ye are\u00a0desirous\u00a0to come into the\u00a0fold\u00a0of God, and to be called his people,<\/p>\n

and are willing to bear one another\u2019s burdens, that they may be light;<\/p>\n

yea, and are\u00a0willing\u00a0to mourn with those that\u00a0mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort,<\/p>\n

and to stand as\u00a0witnesses\u00a0of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death,<\/p>\n

that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the\u00a0first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life\u2014<\/p>\n

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being\u00a0baptized\u00a0in the\u00a0name\u00a0of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a\u00a0covenant\u00a0with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?[6]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It seems that the baptism Alma offered focused on twin commitments to discipleship to God (\u201cbe called his people,\u201d \u201cstand as a witness of God,\u201d and \u201cserve him and keep his commandments\u201d) and to the community (\u201cbear one another\u2019s burdens,\u201d \u201cmourn with those that\u00a0mourn,\u201d and \u201ccomfort those that stand in need of comfort\u201d).<\/p>\n

This twin set of commitments to God and to fellow humans is, of course, not a feature of Alma\u2019s teachings alone.\u00a0 During Jesus\u2019s mortal ministry, when asked which commandment in the law is the greatest, he replied using quotations from the Torah: \u201c\u2018You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.\u2019\u00a0 This is the greatest and first commandment.\u00a0 And a second is like it: \u2018You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u2019\u00a0 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets\u201d[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Perhaps less well-known along these lines are the things Joseph Smith identified as fundamental principles of our religion.\u00a0 In all my reading, I\u2019ve only noticed him referring to three things as fundamental principles of Mormonism.\u00a0 The first was in 1838, when he wrote that the \u201cthe fundamental principles of our religion\u201d were focused on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and \u201call other things are only appendages to these, which pertain to our religion.\u201d[8]<\/a> The second occasion was in 1843, when he declared that, \u201cthe grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to recieve thruth [sic] let it come from where it may.\u201d[9]<\/a> The third occasion was also in 1843, when the Prophet stated that \u201cfriendship is the grand fundamental principle of Mormonism.\u201d[10]<\/a>\u00a0 Friendship and the Atonement of Jesus Christ map well with Alma\u2019s commitment to community and God.\u00a0 The two great commandments should stand at the core of our religion, and also our activities at church.<\/p>\n

Beyond these foundational commitments, how did Alma\u2019s church function on the ground?\u00a0 We only get a limited view, but we see Alma focusing on teaching \u201crepentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people,\u201d[11]<\/a> and to have priests and teachers focus on the same as they \u201cdid watch over their people, and did nourish them with things pertaining to righteousness.\u201d[12]<\/a>\u00a0 Further, Alma \u201ccommanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.\u201d\u00a0 This included that act of sharing \u201cof their substance of their own free will and good desires towards God \u2026 to every needy, naked soul.\u201d\u00a0 The Sabbath day was observed, with \u201cone day in every week that was set apart that they should gather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God.\u201d[13]<\/a>\u00a0 Once again, the two commitments to God and neighbor stand out in the functioning of the church that Alma founded.<\/p>\n

This brings me to my next question on which I\u2019ve been musing:\u00a0 How do I want to approach church meetings differently to make them more meaningful for me?\u00a0 While this will vary for each individual, bear with me as I share some of my own thoughts (or, if you would prefer to not bear with me–for which I wouldn’t blame you–you can just skip to the end for a few closing thoughts and questions for discussion).\u00a0 First, the idea of working towards a community, particularly a Zion community with \u201chearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another,\u201d is something that I would like to put a greater focus on in my life.\u00a0 Prior to the shutdown, I think my focus had been on surviving meetings, praising God in song, contributing to discussions, and looking for some sort of spiritual high along the way (all of which was less than perfect). \u00a0With the shutdown, I think one thing that has stood out is that I miss the social aspects of the ward and need to pay more attention to them\u2014getting to know more people and build friendships during church meetings (and outside of church meetings too), participating more in the service opportunities that are organized at church, and (as is often necessary for me) improving my efforts to truly minister to my ward members.\u00a0 As Joseph Smith said, \u201cfriendship is the grand fundamental principle of Mormonism,\u201d not just spiritual highs and doctrinal discussions.<\/p>\n

I do expect that even that my experiences and efforts will fall short of perfection or perfect enjoyment (both because of me and my fellow ward members), but that\u2019s part of the process.\u00a0 That\u2019s a lot what Eugene England was getting at in his famous essay \u201cWhy the Church is as True as the Gospel.\u201d<\/a> \u00a0As he wrote: \u201cI believe that any good church is a school of love and that the LDS church, for most people, perhaps all, is the best one. \u2026 \u00a0In the life of the true Church, there are constant opportunities for\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>to serve, especially to learn to serve people we would not nor\u00admally choose to serve\u2014or possibly even associate with\u2014and thus opportunities to learn to love unconditionally.\u201d\u00a0 Even though we may not always enjoy the experience, \u201cit stretches and challenges us, though disappointed and exasperated, in ways we would not otherwise choose to be\u2014 and thus gives us a chance to be made better than we might choose to be, but ultimately need and want to be.\u201d[14]<\/a>\u00a0 Achieving a community where \u201chearts [are] knit together in unity and in love one towards another\u201d in a ward is process that can be frustrating and difficult, but both helps to purify us as individual and builds a better community that can function as \u201cheaven, in embryo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other thing that I haven\u2019t dwelled on as much so far is the commitment to God and Christ that is the basis of the community and the expression of which that was the other central concern of Alma\u2019s church.\u00a0 We enter the community of the Church through the ordinance of baptism \u201cas a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve [the Almighty God] until you are dead as to the mortal body\u201d and meet on the Lord\u2019s Day to \u201cworship the Lord [our] God.\u201d[15]<\/a>\u00a0 This is another thing that I think I lost track of in the weekly grind of surviving church\u2014an example of missing the forest for the trees.\u00a0 I went to Church primarily because it\u2019s what I was expected to do as a member of the Church and experienced survival more than edification as a result.\u00a0 As Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, however, \u201cwe do not strive for conversion to the Church but to Christ and His gospel, a conversion that is facilitated by the Church.\u201d\u00a0 Church meetings are an opportunity to gather and, \u201cjoined in faith, we teach and edify one another and strive to approach the full measure of discipleship.\u201d[16]<\/a>\u00a0 Going back, I think greater effort will be required on my part to both seek edification and strength from other people\u2019s testimonies and experiences as an aid to my personal, ongoing process of conversion to the Christ and His gospel.<\/p>\n

As I am writing this post and trying to bring it to a close, I just received the email of the church leaders announcing that they have authorized a phased return to some weekly worship services and activities, following local government regulations.[17]<\/a>\u00a0 While we likely still have a long road ahead of us to return to normal church meetings, it is definitely a good time to reflect on each of our experiences with church meetings.\u00a0 Here are some potential ideas for discussion in the comments below:<\/p>\n