Dear friends,
A couple of months ago Michele St. Peter had tickets to a Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison concert that she couldn’t use and gave to me. Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison? Aren’t they dead? Yes, they are, but through the magic of technology they have been brought back as holograms. With much curiosity, Kerren Berz and I went to check it out. The music was terrific (a small live band played along with recorded music of the “stars”). The figures of Buddy and Roy were technological marvels. But though they were lifelike, something was missing. After the show, Kerren and I talked about what that was, and Kerren put her finger on it. There was no energy coming from the stage. In concerts, the audience receives energy from the performers, and the performers receive energy from the audience. With a stage of hologram figures that energy was not there. As good as the music was, the performance was flat.
These last weeks of live streamed church may feel a bit that way. Certainly there is an energy present in the church that is missing in streaming services. One reason I prefer streaming from our dining room instead of the empty church is that it feels more intimate than being in the big empty sanctuary. The empty room is lifeless without you there. There’s no energy, no instant connection or feedback.
All of this is to say that in a “normal” service, today you would have had the chance to talk to our guest musician and preacher. They would have received energy from you, been able to greet you after the service. I’m sure they both miss that. So if you would like to contact them to say you enjoyed the music, or were touched by the sermon, please do. I know they’d be happy to hear from you.
And I forgot to mention it today, but happy Mother’s Day to all of you who are, or who have, mothers!