The eCrozier

When I’m preaching in a church, I try to imagine what the individuals gathered there are going through in their lives. As a parish priest, I knew most of the individual narratives quite well. There was the mother who was concerned about her teen-aged son’s addiction, the adult son whose father just got a diagnosis of cancer, or the acolyte sleeping over in the corner of the chancel. Each and everyone represented an individual narrative, gathered together at the mass, and listening to my sermon hoping to connect their personal stories to The Greatest Story Ever Told.

Now as a bishop, I don’t get to connect that way because I’m in a different congregation each week. I miss not knowing the people as well, sharing their joys and hardships, and the rhythm of living with them season after season. Thankfully, I still find some experiences in every congregation that connect me and make me feel at home. For example, there’s still the occasional acolyte during my sermon sleeping in the corner of the chancel (I’m sure he/she does so to help me feel right at home).

And even though I don’t know the individual stories of most of the people now, I’m fairly certain that when they look to me as I’m preaching they’re waiting to hear that there’s Good News for them and for the world; that the grace and forgiveness that only God provides is true; and, because of that, their life has meaning, a purpose, and a destiny.

But I’m not so sure that will always be the case in the future. I just read about Google Glass. It’s a wearable computer with a head-mounted display masquerading as a conventional set of eyeglasses. This wearable computer will have voice-activated capability as well as digital manipulation on the glass’s stem. It’s a computer, smart-phone, and a pair of prescription glasses all rolled into one. In the near future someone could seemingly be listening to my sermon while also playing a video game, checking the previous night’s baseball scores, and googling the term “realized eschatology” that they just heard coming out of my mouth. This technology may even keep the acolytes awake in the corner of the chancel. Oh my!

This development, apart from its challenge to the preacher’s ability to keep the attention of the congregation, also raises privacy concerns for some people. They fear that the video recording capability in Google Glass will allow the wearer to record people without their permission. But that cat is already out of the bag. Anyone with a smart-phone can do that now.

I’m more concerned, however, about safety on the highway. It’s scary enough already when I see someone swerving on the road while looking down (presumably reading a text or sending one). That will be nothing compared to someone driving while multi-tasking on her/his “wearable computer.” And I imagine casinos are all in a tizzy about how this may advantage card players visiting their establishments. But those pale in comparison to the lack of sleep acolytes will soon endure during the sermon because they will feel the need to update their Facebook pages.

+Scott