Words and images zoom through air,
ricochet in cyberspace,
bounce off tiny screens and speakers
to eyes and ears and brains;
yours, mine.
in fractions of seconds gigabytes
scatter and dart at our whim and call.
Human ingenuity sparkles;
we have taken the shout, the messenger,
the smoke signal, the letter, the telegram
and raised it to the nth degree.
We are the world connected.
And so today we stand with our tools in our hands:
you in your room in Israel,
me in the basement of our home in Canada.
You can describe the heat, the sickness, the worry.
I can say, “I love you” and “I’m sorry”.
All this technology and only this disconnect:
I am here, and you need help there.
In the end we both stand silent, listening.
This is our prayer, slipping through space.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.