Without a doubt, the last three months or more have challenged all of us to accept and adapt to a new normal! As we phase back to the so-called “old normal”, how will we view these past one hundred days or so?

Certainly, for many, it has been a time of separation, loneliness and pain. For almost all of us, it has been a time of challenge, change and even crisis. For churches, it has been a time of a dramatic shift from worship in the building to on-line. Some churches have recklessly defied and resisted this change and continued to hold services in the church sanctuary. Most have sought out other options like services live-streamed or recorded and broadcast on the internet. Some have explored drive-in services and outdoor worship venues. Trinity has been offering both and will continue to do so through July.

When will Trinity move back inside the church building and back to “normal”? When it is safe — and we are prepared to safely do so. When we do, it won’t be quite like the old normal. Various precautions will have to be taken like: limiting how many can worship at one time; the seating requirements (or social distancing); the wearing of masks; taking of temperatures; etc… For awhile at least, that will be the new normal. A couple of members have mentioned to me that some of our neighboring LCMS churches have already moved back into the church. That’s true, they have. But they are taking necessary precautions like wearing a mask and not singing in order to do so. Trinity has been blessed with an ideal parking lot configuration to accommodate outdoor drive-in services which are much safer. Peculiar? Certainly! We look forward to moving inside the church as soon as possible — but safely.

In the mean time, I believe there is much to learn from this COVID-19 pandemic. For a very long time the church has become focused on the Sunday (weekly) worship services in the church (indoor or outdoor). We invest much of the resources of the church into offering these worship services. But the temporary loss of our ability to use our buildings has highlighted an often-forgotten truth: the church is the people of God, whether scattered or gathered. The church is not defined by our weekend worship services. Without a doubt, our gathering together around Word and Sacraments is a powerful blessing and God pleasing! Yet, the church is at its best when it is not so focused on Sunday, but on Monday! The mission of the church is not inside the building but on the front lines of the community, neighborhoods and internet. Perhaps God has used this catastrophic corona crisis to open our eyes to this true calling of His church. Maybe it’s time to adjust our vision, realign our priorities and reallocate our resources. The church door will be open soon to come in — but it’s always open to go out!

~ Pastor Dennis Krueger