|
LIVESTREAMING
I have had the privilege of participating in several of the worship services being livestreamed. It still amazes me that this is our current normal. I never would have expected to be singing or playing into a microphone, staring at an empty sanctuary. It’s still one of many head shaking moments from this year. I am grateful for the existence of the technology that allows for it, for the patience and persistence of Emile and all the staff and volunteers who are helping to make this a reality. It may not be our preferred way to worship, but it is a way to worship, to be in community, to continue to love and serve God.
On a recent Sunday I played a piano piece as part of the prelude. It was a quiet, reflective piece, and, as I played the last notes, I felt them hang in the air. It was so very quiet in that nearly empty sanctuary. We knew the we were on live camera, but have no idea if anyone was watching. I was just struck by the way the sound was suspended there, with no visible congregation to absorb it.
That moment has me thinking about the word we are using for this medium- livestreaming. I have always been drawn to water, whether it’s streams, rivers, lakes or oceans. Some of my favorite memories are fording a stream in the Blue Ridge mountains by the Peaks of Otter. Streams are not stagnant. They are constantly moving. The water always seems to be on a journey to somewhere. The configuration varies depending on the season, the vegetation, the amount of rain. But, it’s constant.
I had another thought—we are all livestreaming, or, all our lives are streaming. Our lives are in motion, even when we feel stagnant. We are drawn to the source of our living water. We move along paths that sometimes are well carved, while at other times are creating new pathways. We touch other part of creation. We nourish and are nourished.
We are still the church. We are still being moved by God, growing deeper in our relationships, still impacting the world. We may have to rethink how that looks, feels and sounds, but we still are the church. I trust that God will continue to work in and through us, no matter where the streams of life take us.
Ruth
|
