There is a reason the New Testament has no word for a Christian who never meets anyone else. Faith was designed to be carried in company.
That is not a criticism of anyone who watches from home — for plenty of people, illness, work patterns or caring responsibilities make the livestream the only door available, and we are glad it is there. But if the stream has quietly become the default rather than the fallback, it is worth naming what is missing.
You cannot be prayed for by a screen. You cannot pass a tissue to a screen, or notice that the person two rows ahead has stopped singing, or be handed a casserole by one. Gathering is inconvenient by design: it costs time, parking and small talk. That cost is most of the point.
