The “ZOOM” Phenomenon
Greetings, Visitors and New Beginnings Family! If you like, pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea, cappuccino, or hot cocoa. Then make yourself comfortable and join me for the latest edition of “Coffee with Gary!”
Before COVID-19, I never heard of ZOOM teleconferencing or, for that matter, freeconferencecall.com. I first learned of ZOOM from a New Beginnings Alliance Church board member as a means to conduct church business. Now just two months into the COVID-19 pandemic I’ve heard of people all over the country creatively communicating with one another through either or both of the aforementioned services.
For example, I recently learned of a man sick with COVID-19 admitted to the same hospital as his wife giving birth to their first child on another floor. Even though the man could not physically be at his wife’s side, he was connected via ZOOM to at least witness the birth of his child! True, it’s not the same as being there but at least he and his wife were allowed to both see and hear each other’s “image” of the happy event.
Other people use teleconferencing technology to help mitigate the losses they’re experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These can range from missing happy events like graduations to unhappy events like grieving the death of a loved one. Events where people normally congregate like graduations and funerals are now either postponed or cancelled altogether. The use of teleconferencing technology like ZOOM can help people come to terms with their losses by allowing them to connect with each other in a virtual and perhaps “spiritual” way.
Please bear with me now as I attempt to use ZOOM as a metaphor to explain several Biblical truths. Living on this earth I can easily say that I have never seen Jesus face to face. To see Jesus face to face as described in 2 Corinthians 5:1-9, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, and 1 John 3:2-3 will require as a famous hymn declares, “My faith shall be sight.” Now the Bible also tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and that for now I only see Him through a mirror darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Just like the man and his wife in the hospital viewed each other’s images through an internet connection, I need a spiritual connection to see the image of the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. However, please understand that Jesus sees and hears me as I am (1 Corinthians 13:12). This is where the ZOOM analogy breaks down.
So then, how do I make a spiritual ZOOM connection to Jesus? One way is to read and meditate on God’s Word. It is in the Bible that I see the image of Christ revealed (video). Another way is to pray. It is by prayer that I both speak and listen for God’s reply (audio). Often God speaks to me through his word or through circumstances like open and closed doors. Still, it is the indwelling Spirit of God that Jesus promised to send us (John 16:7-15) that connects me to Him. (internet)
Now, if you have been wondering the title of the hymn of which I referred, it’s “It is Well with My Soul.”
Your fellow pilgrim in looking for a country of our own. (Hebrews 11:13-16)
Gary
P.S. I heard some good news this week from my mom! The mom and pop restaurant in Sheboygan Falls I wrote about in the previous edition of, “Coffee with Gary” is open for telephone orders and curbside pick-up!