Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

I'm Elisa Morgan, and I called our reading Be the Church.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave and Carla spent months looking for a church home. Following health guidelines,

which limited various in-person experiences, made it even more difficult. They longed for connection

to a body of believers in Jesus. It's a hard time to find a church, Carla emailed me. Within me,

rose a realization from my own longing to be reunited with

my church family. It's a hard time to be the church, I responded. In that season, our church had

pivoted, offering food and surrounding neighborhoods, creating online services, and phoning every member

with support and prayer. My husband and I participated and yet wondered what else we could do

to be the church in our changed world. In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25, the writer exhorts readers not to neglect meeting together as

some are in the habit of doing, but to encourage one another. Perhaps due to persecution,

or maybe as a result of simply growing weary, the struggling early believers needed a nudge

to keep being the church. And today, I need a nudge, too.

Do you? When circumstances change how we experience church, will we continue to be the church?

Let's creatively encourage one another and build each other up as God guides us, share our resources,

send a text of support, gather as we're able, pray for one another.

Let's be the church.

Today's our daily bread devotional Scripture reading is from Hebrews chapter 10,

verses 19 through 25. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the

most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is,

his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God

with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts

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