Missing Church

I am really, really, really hating not being able to go to church.

We still “have church.” My family will watch a message, listen to/sing songs, and go through Sunday school lessons. Yesterday, people from my church had a “video-meeting”, and there was singing, a devotional, a sermon, and a sharing time.

But I miss going to church.

I miss getting to see all the people in person, face to face, not on a screen.

I miss the hugs and handshakes.

I miss the individual greetings, the time spent one-on-one with somebody, even if just for a minute or less.

I miss singing as a group.

I miss sitting in Sunday school with my friends, hearing their thoughts on different things, giggling together over something, sometimes scribbling notes to each other.

I miss holding babies and toddlers.

I miss the time after church, before we go home, when everyone’s talking (or playing, in the children’s case). Sharing with each other. Laughing. Just enjoying spending time together.

I even miss my cousin’s rough side hugs and poking me in the side. (I am very ticklish and absolutely hate when he does it; so saying I miss even that…)

Last Sunday was Easter Sunday. At my church, it was also Communion Sunday and fellowship lunch Sunday. But we weren’t together. The baptized members didn’t partake of the bread and juice together, didn’t wash each other’s feet. There was no meal together afterwards, no taking my little friend with me through line and getting her food, no spending even more time with friends, no being surrounded by happy noise.

Yes, we can talk to each other. We can see each other. But it’s not quite the same.

I can’t wait until this pandemic is over and we can go back to church. My friends and I are going to have to give each other lots of big hugs to make up for lost time. I think we should have a fellowship lunch, even if it’s not on our usual Sunday, because we will not have had one for awhile and we need to spend more time together (besides, we Mennonites love food 😉). I want the singing time to be long, because there’s just something about singing as a group that I love (and I love singing, period). I hope all the babies and toddlers are there and are in a good mood, because I long to hold them and cuddle them and see them smile/laugh.

And I pray that, even when I’m old and wrinkled and (perhaps) a grandmother many times over, I will never get tired of–never take for granted–going to church and spending time with my Family. (And yes, I meant to capitalize “Family”. 🙂)