I am thinking how we long to see family and friends, especially at holiday times. Long ago the Apostle Paul wrote to friends, “For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:8. Further in the letter he expressed how he remained with them spiritually even as he waited to see them again. He was expressing a virtual and yet real connection that overcame the distance and circumstances that separated them.
In September I wrote in our church newsletter: “I think it is a curious way we speak of things as “virtual.” You may have heard about a virtual political convention; there are virtual classrooms, virtual board meetings, and maybe virtual worship services. The old definition of virtual is of something being “almost,” something having the essence of or similarity to something else but not exactly so. Now the word virtual is used in reference to things done with computer and on-line. One can take a virtual tour of a museum or a virtual tour of a home listed for sale. And the idea is still that the virtual thing is similar but less, not as good as the real thing. In many ways I can agree with that. I do long for the day when we can be gathering together; God did create us to be social creatures. However, more and more I hear people refer to their experiences on-line in adjectives that do not minimize the reality of the time spent. In fact I hear enthusiasm from church members who, although they may wish to be able to come together at an in-person gathering, talk with deep appreciation and sometimes excitement about the on-line “virtual” worship experience they had. I hear people talk about the thrill of a Skype or Zoom conversation with a grandmother or other relative during these COVID-19 times of separation and that these “virtual visits” have brought very real tears of joy to their eyes.”
I am sharing this with a much larger audience today because I want to encourage as many people as possible to approach the upcoming holiday time with real caution and virtual connection. Currently we are hearing about the increasing numbers of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. In-person gatherings, even in our homes, are the places with the greatest risk. None of us want to be separated from family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. But being physically distant does not mean we are spiritually or emotionally separated. I remember those old, old days when after the Thanksgiving meal my mother would call from the kitchen, “I have Grandmother on the phone.” And all of us would line up to hold the phone and talk to Grandma. She was 300 miles away but we were together for a brief moment, and that moment infused the afternoon with her presence.
I admit that I am a ‘low-tech’ person, and it may have taken a team of horses to get me into the digital age. But I am embracing the virtual world this holiday. I will do so because as I wrote in our November church newsletter: “What we will be missing is that time to be together in-person. But if we practice this safety now, there will be possibility to be together in the future. And that is the purpose of all our safety precautions.” And so as I engage in a virtual moment, I will be very much aware that there is nothing virtual about it. You know as well as I do that a conversation with family or friends is very real. You may miss the hugs for now, but by your loving caution you will share those real connections in the future. As we long to be together again, be wise, be safe, be loving this holiday season.
Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month our contributor is Reverend Mark Ditmanson of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Marais.
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