My home church burned to the ground a few years ago. Although it had been a number of years since I had moved away and transferred my membership, it was devastating news, and I felt a real sense of loss. That Sunday morning, in the ashes of the church and in the cold of winter, the congregation gathered and worshipped in the parking lot.
A few years after that, I was a member of a congregation whose building needed several fairly significant repairs and, facing financial hardship, needed to look at the option of closing the doors and merging with another congregation. Again, I felt a true sense of loss.
Both of these experiences helped me realize that the church is not a building; it is not bricks and mortar. The church is where two or three are gathered in the name of Christ. I came to realize that we can worship anywhere, with or without a building. We can gather in a space and that in itself makes the space holy.
Faithful and loving God, help us to know that wherever we gather in the name of Christ is holy. Allow us the peace to gather and pray at any time and in any place. Amen. — GB