For where two or three are gathered together in my name

The coronavirus pandemic has taught me a thing or two about taking stuff seriously. Sure, it took me a few more days than others to grasp the gravity of what’s going on.  But, be assured that like the vast majority of us – I get it now.

My initial reaction was to race to that verse in the Bible where Jesus is speaking about people who get together “in my name”. Those (hopefully frequent) occasions when people who follow Jesus and are living for him are gathered in his powerful name.  “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst them,” assures Jesus (Matthew 18:20).

Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t think I was being too jokey or silly by thinking about Jesus first.  Instead, I wondered whether I was being too frivolous by quickly lobbing myself into that statement of Jesus – at a time when social distancing and other constraints are being imposed with the aim of doing good, not harm.

I don’t want to drive a wedge between what our Federal and State governments are calling upon us to do, and what Jesus promises.  But I am finding it provocative to consider that at any time two or three (at least) gather in the name of Jesus – even virtually,  as we are doing now – there He continues to be.

Yet, like everything during the coronavirus crisis, Jesus’s promises on this one remains the same as it did before the coronavirus crisis.  And it will remain so after this crisis is over (according to Hebrews 13:8 or 2 Corinthians 1:20).

So I’m thinking that, no matter what kind of isolation measures happen, I can still know Jesus is “with” both me and other followers when we gather.  Via a safe, healthy medium of connection, of course.