Online Liturgy (& why meeting in person is better)

by Darren Moore

Among the Reformed, liturgy is always a divisive issue. But I’m noticing an emerging online liturgy, particularly for meetings by conference software, such as Zoom. Here is a sample, likely to hit a Christian bookshop near you soon(!)

Minister:        ….

All:                   You are on mute

Minister:        Sorry. Let us pray

All:                    🙏 

Minister:        The Lord be with you

All:                    👍 

Minister:        Let us praise the Lord!

All:                    🙌

                        Hello everyone!... Oh, sorry you’ve started

Minister:        …b…rrrr….aaaa

All:                   You’re breaking up

Minister:        Hear God’s word from [insert passage]

All:                    👂 

Minister:        Dave… Dave, you’re not on mute, we can still hear you… Dave

Tongue in cheek of course… just. I am grateful that we have conference and broadcasting tech. It’s been great for lockdown, for those housebound, unwell, not able to come because of our limited capacity and those outside of church have checked us out. But, it would be an understatement to say meeting in person is better (even with restrictions) and the inconvenience of travelling to the same place to gather may be better for us than convenience.