Last week we convened the Trinity Institute, a confab of lay and clergy from around the country who gather annually around a topic and a few notable speakers. We always launch with an opening Eucharist, and this year the Prayers of the People were led by someone from Winnepeg, Manitoba. That in itself is not notable except that the person was IN Winnepeg, Manitoba, and we skyped them in on the internet. 

I’m no stranger to the web (though I was born before computers had screens, and I’m only 45!), but like many at Trinity, when Jim Cooper steps out each Sunday to welcome the congregation in the nave “along with those worshipping with us on the internet,” I never really quite take that last phrase seriously. It’s not that I don’t believe those people are out there somewhere, but being invisible they are somewhat imaginary to me.

But with that skyped-in leader of prayer last week my imagination was enlarged. The monitor image was a little fuzzy and the sound was scratchy, but it was Real, not imaginary, and our internet congregation came alive for me in a new way.

After the service, Linda, the head of our Communications department, came up to me and said “What did you think? Could we do that on a Sunday?” “Of Course!” I blurted without pause. We have over a thousand people every week at the other end of those servo-controlled camera lenses that are perched on the pillars; it’s this great cloud of witnesses that we easily take for granted because we cannot see them. Why not perform the miracle and give them a face and a voice?!

Worship is practice, and practice is discovery, and discovery is change. I discovered something new last week, and what we discover if we start skyping our virtual congregation in on a Sunday I don’t entirely know, but I do know that we WILL discover something important, and that it will change us.

God is where the paint is still wet.

Stay tuned...