I Samuel 16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When the town watchman saw Samuel coming to Bethlehem it set off alarm bells in the city. The unexpected appearance of one of God's judges was not a happy occasion; the elders' nervous response to Samuel's appearance was reflexive, perhaps something akin our driving and suddenly coming upon a police officer and reflexively stepping on the brake to slow our car down. The elders came trembling to meet Samuel ... Do you come in peace? Are we in trouble? Did we do something to warrant your coming? No doubt to their great relief, Samuel responded ... I come in peace. ... What will our reaction be when Jesus comes again to judge the quick?
How effective are online services for members of a congregation? As it turns out, not very. A recent survey by the Barna Group shows this sad news:
35 percent of respondents are still attending their pre-COVID church.
32 percent are no longer attending church.
14 percent have switched to a new church.
18 percent are watching worship services from different churches each month.
50 percent of Millennials have stopped attending church.
Barna has written this headline from the data gathered: "One in Three Practicing Christians Is Still and Only Attending Their Pre-COVID Church," ran the headline.
While online services are sub-optimal for most people (they'd rather gather together for 'real church'), it is better than nothing. But people are not enthusiastic about it.
JSH+