Words dance into space
bouncing off satellites:
my voice rocketing
through the stratosphere here
and ricocheting into your ear there.
Your thumbs type text
and even as you press send,
I receive your message.
Across the miles
the image of your presence
hovers on my screen,
our voices intertwining on this internet.
My grandparents were as proud
of their telegraph, reliable mail service,
and the wonder of the telephone.
And for all this are we better connected?
Has all this technology
enabled us to live more peacefully,
more in tune with one another?
Have all our inventions
increased our capacity for compassion
or changed the desires of our hearts?
As our means of communication
increase in clarity and capacity
and speed and sophistication,
we are still needy.
God, you Great Connector, touch our hearts.
May our longing to communicate
be matched by our yearning to love one another
and to speak the language of love.
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.