A Community of Faith

Our granddaughter Emilia was invited to attend the recent concert by the British rock group Coldplay. When they arrived they were given wristbands when they entered the American Airlines Center. Now that is not unusual for admission to concerts, football games and all kinds of other “big events” but these wristbands were different.

She sat through two opening acts with this wrist band on her wrist and thought nothing of it-- then the main act, Coldplay came up on the stage and the whole room change into a colorful light show and everyone in the room wearing their wrist band Lit up. Different colors flashed and vibrated and suddenly everyone in the room was a part of the show.

It was way cool according to Mia.

I’ve been thinking about this in relationship to our church worship experience. Now we’re not the kind of church that spends much time with our hands in the air and palms raised to God in praise. We are more staid and restrained in our worship of God, but think of the possibilities if we all had wristbands that vibrated and flashed colored light at controlled times during the service.

Now from my perspective it would be way cool to have your wrist band light up when you placed your offering in the plate. Or when the minister says something you really agreed with the wristband would vibrate in agreement. Or when someone is baptized or walks forward to join us our wrists lit up in celebration.

Pretty wild and crazy I agree but it does have potential. Longtime visitors could be vibrated to standup and come forward. Guests could be identified with a warm glow after the service so we would be cued in to greeting and welcoming them to Midway Hills.

All I can tell you for sure is that when Mia told me about the experience the warm glow of being part of something special showed on her face and in her eyes. She’s now, more than ever, a dedicated Coldplay fan.

Even if remote controlled wristbands are not in our future, I hope each of us remembers our worship together as a community of faith every week and folks know it by the warm smile on our faces and the vibrance of our enthusiasm for being together as a community of faith. Now don’t write the idea off completely - we are always on a journey and all things are possible.

Paul Johnson