What My Former Coworker Taught Me About Church

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I received a text from a friend and former coworker the other day. She had a question about how we handled a certain situation when it arose. During the exchange, we reminisced about the time we worked together. It was a good job, and we miss many things about that time.

For two years, we not only shared the same small office, but our desks were pushed together, facing each other. I know she keeps a jar of peanut butter in her desk. I know that when she is stressed she scrapes her hair back from her face. She knows that my neck gets blotchy when I am upset or angry. She probably knows other small things about me that I don’t realize about myself. 

She moved on to a different job. My job went remote. My time working remotely was good. Because on camera meetings were the norm, I did get to know my remote coworkers. But I don’t know them in the same way I know my friend. 

Technology allows us to communicate in varied ways. And the New Testament is full of epistles where the writers wanted to impart something important to the recipients. But even Paul desired many times to visit his people face to face. (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18, Romans 1:11–12 and 1 Corinthians 16:5-7). 

Technology can replicate a lot of what we do in church, but it can’t fully substitute. I can listen to a sermon on my own, but I can’t share the experience of laughter or conviction or awe with others if I am listening alone. I can’t hug my friends or shake their hands. I can’t see in their eyes that they are tired, hurting, or joyful. I can listen to a worship song, but I can’t sing in unison with my church family. Even secular science is seeing the benefit of group singing, which shows that our Creator already knows what we need.¹

The Christian faith is an embodied faith. Even the ordinances of baptism and communion are physical acts. We accept Jesus into our hearts, but baptism is physical. We remember Christ’s broken body and shed blood, but then we partake of the emblems. 

Our beauty doesn’t come from outward adornment (1 Peter 3:3) and God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). But Paul prayed for the sanctification of our body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Yes, we are to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), but we can’t do that in isolation. We can’t fully serve unless we are fully present. You can’t hug someone on a livestream.

1. Liu Y. Resonance in recovery: group singing as a mechanism for collective narrative repair, emotional integration, and post-traumatic growth. Front Psychol. 2026;16:1763648. Published 2026 Jan 12. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1763648 ↩︎