Connecting

Today has been dominated by connection. Lord knows what we'd do if the internet decided to give up, but today's connections went beyond and above that. I was asked to preach for this morning's zoom service for our linked charge, and having felt I knew what I wanted to say the niggle over breakfast was the hope that zoom wouldn't fail as it did last week; in the event the sound was poor for the people phoning in, and occasionally glitchy for the rest of us, but it worked.

I was talking about connection in the light of the story of the Ascension, which was celebrated on Thursday - this moment when the disciples were left to get on with the business of telling the world what they had come to know about Jesus, about God. I was trying to explore how connection with God in prayer worked when the worshipper was forced to stay away from the place which had seen so many prayers - their local church. It can happen, I suggested, but only at the expense of self-absorption. It was an interesting experience for me: having left the view on my screen at the "grid view" setting, even with my sermon propped up on the screen in front of me I was able to see some of the small screens of the congregation, and it was disconcerting to see random dogs wander over their owners as they listened (or not) or faces that looked completely unresponsive in a way they never do in church. 

After that, we spent well over an hour on our video coffee with our friends - a weekly event - followed by a phone call to a friend on Bute who'd mailed me about the service. Later, as the sun appeared and the drizzle seemed to be receding, we headed out for a walk and met friends from along the lane. Cue more communication as we conducted an elaborate dance on the prom to allow joggers and passing walkers to keep distant from our distanced quartet.

Finally, we spent a lovely half hour watching our #2 son make dinner - his phone sat on his worktop and we chatted over drinks (on both ends of the chat) and blethered inconsequentially - something that we often don't do in video calls. I think we still feel uneasy just being there - we have to find something meaningful to say!

My photos today (yes - I'm going to add an extra) come from before and after the weather cleared. The main one is of the lovely lush colours of tree and shrub in the church grounds which marked the apex of our walk; the extra is of the two swans in the still water of the West Bay, just before we met our friends.

And now I'm so tired after all that communication that there's a fair chance I shall be in bed by midnight. Now that would be a thing ...

And no resignations ... so far.