Be the Church

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. I'm Elisa Morgan, and I called our reading Be the Church. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave and Carla spent months looking for a church home.

Following health guidelines, which limited various in-person experiences, made it even more difficult. They longed for connection to a body of believers in Jesus. It's a hard time to find a church, Carla emailed me. Within me rose a realization from my own longing to be reunited with my church family. It's a hard time to be the church, I responded. In that season, our church had pivoted, offering food in surrounding neighborhoods, creating online services, and phoning every member with support and prayer. My husband and I participated and yet wondered what else we could do to be the church in our changed world. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25, the writer exhorts readers not to neglect meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but to encourage one another. Perhaps due to persecution, or maybe as a result of simply growing weary, the struggling early believers needed a nudge to keep being the church. And today, I need a nudge too.

Do you? When circumstances change how we experience church, will we continue to be the church? Let's creatively encourage one another and build each other up as God guides us, share our resources, send a text of support, gather as we're able, pray for one another. Let's be the church.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Hebrews chapter 10 verses 19 through 25. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day approaching. Let's pray. Dear God, show me how to be the church. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for listening today. My name is Elisa Morgan, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.