ZOOM

Earlier this year, I don’t think I had even heard of Zoom. Now it defines my life. Zoom meetings, Zoom classes and webinars, Zoom hearings – sometimes two or more at once in different “courtrooms”- , Zoom birthday parties and reunions, Zoom church. About the only thing we haven’t done on Zoom lately is grocery shopping, and there’s an App for that!

Zoom doesn’t only describe the online meeting spot, it also seems to define my offline life. Rushing to take the dogs out, to catch a child who has picked up something he shouldn’t have, to try to complete my to-do list, and to get emails down to a manageable number. I imagine that I am not alone in this zoom lifestyle.

How does one have time to ponder while zooming everywhere? How does one have time to savor the beauty and love of God?

A question arose in our Zoom prayer time yesterday about how Zoom or Social media sites can begin to convey a sense of God’s Presence when most churches are not gathering in physical spaces to help stop the spread of the virus. That sparked my pondering! I started thinking of the ways that people experience God’s presence. Oftentimes, it is through the love and acceptance of others. Sometimes, it is in awareness of the beauty around us, like when walking in the woods, standing on a mountain top, viewing a sunrise or sunset. Certain places may also feel holy to us. At our Church Camp, people turn off the car radio and roll the windows down when they turn into the drive to not miss a moment of the holiness. I used to be stunned how I would feel a sense of the Holy when I would go into little area where I went to Sunday School even after that area was repurposed. I wonder if those places feel so holy because of the love shared and prayers felt? I think so.

How can we share God’s love and be aware of God’s presence in the time of Zoom? My idea is by offering ourselves and welcoming others with loving hearts. God can work in any time or place that we say yes. Even through Zoom.