Before I compose any of these virtual faith formation blog posts, there is a period of time where I sit with each week’s theme. Sometimes, I go back to the Lectionary and read the verses where the theme first materialized. Sometimes, I let my mind drift off and wander wherever the word leads. Sometimes, I hold the word when I meditate, then let it go and see what images, ideas, and inspirations serendipitously emerge. Sometimes, I let myself chase down the endless rabbit hole of the world wide web, and simply see what I find.
This particular blog entry is inspired by what happened when I put “Follow” into a Google image search. Hundreds of images came up, but all of the images coalesced around two themes: Follow on Twitter and Follow Jesus. Apparently, there is nothing else worth following.
So, I mused, what would have happened if Jesus’ followers were on Twitter?
It turns out, I am not the first person to have that thought. Not even remotely. There were quite a few commentaries on this subject, and this circulating video of what I will affectionately call, “The Gospel According to Twitter”:
If the video does not show correctly, please follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWCaXXKcHWE
I have watched this production video several times. It makes me wonder, what would have appeared on my own social media? Would I have checked in on the Mount of Olives? Captured an image of the Star of Bethlehem on Instagram? Shared the Huffington Post’s editorial written by a woman from Samaria about her authentic encounter with a visionary leader who expanded her vision of intellectual gender equity? Or, most likely for me, would I have blogged about my afternoon “small point of light” in which some bread, fish, and collective contributions fed a whole multitude as if by a miracle of the daily ordinary?
My point is: maybe Jesus is on social media.
I am not naive: there is a lot of less-than-holy filling our news feeds. But, there is also the exquisite beauty of nature captured in instantaneously shared images; there are collective gatherings of people to learn, to advocate, to support; there are inspirational writings that challenge our thinking and our growth; there truly are everyday miracles of divine presence intersecting our lives.
Today’s challenge for living into our sacred space: use your social media to share the Good News in image, word, or inspiration. Be the eyes and ears, the hands and feet of Jesus…even in the virtual, online world.
#FollowMe
*Note to those who follow by email. I am experiencing some link sharing difficulties with WordPress this week, so links are sometimes changing from the “web” to “email” versions. If you have difficulties with a link in the email that is sent, please click on the title of the blog post which will automatically redirect you to the web version. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Sacred Space 