Good Shepherd Lutheran Church / Thursday, June 3, 2021 / Categories: Publications, Daily Devotions Daily Devotion by Dave Dietrichson Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Wow, is it great to be back IN church! Yes, for months I’ve been in church most Monday mornings working masked and alongside the guys that really do the work. I’ve even played golf with many of them. Our friendships continue and have been nurtured. I’ve attended numerous online meetings for church council, stewardship, planned giving and Covid planning. I’ve attended church online for many months and have benefited enormously from sermons and liturgy. But I wanted to be IN church! Now I have been and will continue to be. It is so good to see people again that we haven’t seen in over a year. It’s wonderful to be immersed in the service in a way that can’t quite be replicated on a 2-D screen. As Pastor Alex stated in a recent sermon, it’s the connectedness that we have so missed. IN church, we have a shared experience. Even if I have no idea how my neighbor a few pews away is experiencing the service, we are there together under God’s roof. There is a greater sense that the Spirit is moving around and among all present. Now, consider what a blessing our development of online services means to so many who don’t have the ability to attend church in our building. Strange and mysterious ways indeed. Don’t think for a moment that I personally believe God intentionally created this pandemic, as if to test or punish us, but it is so Godlike to see how he has worked through us to spread the Gospel in new and sustainable ways. It has been amazing to witness the fruits of the fertile minds of staff and volunteers. As the online offerings continue to grow and be fine-tuned, the result will be to attract more people back to our building and to attract new faces to our ministry and mission. We have weathered the brunt of the storm. (Prayers go out to all who have suffered in ways that cannot be repaired, whether due to personal illness, illness or death of a family member or friend, loss of a job or career, or any other lingering or permanent impact.) Thank God for the strength to persevere. Now we go forward in mission. SHARE GROW SERVE Previous Article Daily Devotion Next Article Daily Devotion Print 6446 Rate this article: 5.0 Leave a comment Name: Please enter a name. Email: Please enter an email address. Please enter a valid email address. Comment: Please enter comment. I agree This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data. You must read and accept this rules. Add comment