Each day I am amazed by the way technology has become such an integral part of my life. I remember when I was the remote-control channel changer for our television. And cooking was an art. My mom typically had something baking in the oven while simultaneously stirring whatever was simmering on the stove. Dinner would take hours to make. Now microwave ovens significantly cut prep time.
Long lines at grocery store checkouts and longer lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles were not uncommon. Last week I renewed my Driver’s License online. After a few questions, I was approved to receive a new license in the mail. I realized that I didn’t receive a notice for my 2022 tags. As I visited the Secretary of State website, I learned how this process had changed as well. It is now easier to request new tags, and I don’t have to type in a PIN anymore.
My phone has become a mini-encyclopedia. SIRI and I talk a few times each day. It’s also a navigator, meteorologist, and measuring tape. I can take pictures, record videos, and create voice memos. Voice transcription software has come a long way, too. I remember struggling with convincing the first edition of Parrot software that I was saying “cochlea” and not “Coke and a”.
Our phones, computers, cars, and T. V.s are leading the technology wave. What I wonder is how we create a space for including some of these innovations in our faith journeys. Many churches have discovered the difference online worship is making for our faith communities. We are discovering that some persons are comfortable with attending worship from home. Then how do we include these persons in a time of fellowship or a coffee hour following the service?
What do missions from home look like? How do we engage in social media to plant seeds for ministry? In what ways can we share the Good News of our Lord and Savior, by posting videos, chatting, or tweeting the ways we are touched by God? Could we all answer the question that Jesus asks of the disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20).
I also ask us to consider how we bring John Wesley’s ideas for small groups into the 21st century. How could we reimagine and reshape how we participate in Covenant Disciple Groups, Classes, and other small groups which ask each of us to answer God’s call upon our lives? We are a connectional church. What ideas do you have, and can share, about the ways technology is being embraced by the people you serve? Please let one another know what you have discovered and what you are learning. God is truly making all things new. And Amen.