Etch A Sketch Church, iPad World Part 3

At a recent meeting of folks from all over the country, the vast majority of which were over age 50 and a good number over 60, I noticed that many of us opened iPads as the meeting began. Great lamentation, confused whimpers and desperate cries for help arose around the room as the screens came to life:

"How do I save a document?" "I know I downloaded the files, but I can't find them!" "Why does the screen keep changing direction?" "Ach! My notes just disappeared!" "How do I zoom in on that chart?" "Where the heck do I find the wi-fi settings?" "For Pete's sake! I should have brought my old laptop."

The masses among them had a strong craving; and the church folk also wept again, and said, “If only we had our Etch A Sketch! We remember the fish we used to draw so simply, the houses, the trains, the stick people; but now our fingers are confused, and there is nothing at all but this iPad to look at.” [Numbers11:4-6, paraphrased, of course]

Change is difficult. When we know we need it, when we like things the way they are, when we thought we wanted it, when we know we don't want it, when it (whatever "it" is) just doesn't work anymore…in nearly every circumstance, change is difficult. This is as true for congregations and synods as it is for individuals and families.

Change is difficult because we can see that there is goodness in the way things are, or because life is comfortable and familiar and walking into the fog of an uncertain future is frightening, or adopting new habits can be exhausting and discouraging, or because __________________________ (fill in the blank with your own murmuring lament).

            This sort of lament can also arise from a sense of loss and grief. This is natural. It’s appropriate, even necessary, as we learn to let go of what has been good and helpful for us in the past in order to welcome what will be meaningful, faithful and good now and into the future.

We need to create spaces in our life together where we can share the struggle, the pain, the loss involved with being reborn as a 21^st Century church. Psalms, like Psalm 89, when read, discussed and prayed together can help create the desperately needed space among us where we can let loose our lament: “Lord, where is your steadfast love of old?”

The good news is that right there, in such gatherings, as with mourning Mary in the garden that first Easter morning, the risen Jesus will meet us in our murmuring to comfort us with his promising presence and lead us into new life [John 20:11-18].

O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Evangelical Lutheran Worship, “Morning Prayer”]

Itsy bitsy disclaimer: The Etch A Sketch metaphor, in tandem with the iPad metaphor, is intended to be a way to engage imagination around what it means to be the people of God in our current context. I am aware of the unfortunate way in which "Etch A Sketch" was used briefly in media coverage of the presidential political campaign. I intend no political reference whatsoever by the use of this image in the context of this conversation. If the image itself proves less than useful, I trust that folks will use whatever images and metaphors are more helpful for them to continue to engage the very important conversation about how God's people can most faithfully, creatively and effectively participate in God's mission in the world today. In fact, please share those images and metaphors here!

Etch A Sketch Church in an iPad World

Sitting in a deli working on a sermon over lunch recently, I noticed an eight or nine year old boy looking for a seat. Carefully cradled under his arm was a half-inch thick red-framed rectangular screen a little smaller than a sheet of paper. “Cool,” I thought. “He’s got an Etch A Sketch to keep him busy while he waits for lunch to arrive.” As he neared, I realized there were no telltale white knobs and the red frame was just rubberized protection for his iPad.

Of course, my initial interpretation of what the boy carried betrayed my own generational habitat and reminded me of the hours I spent turning those beloved white knobs when I was his age. Glancing at the iPad next to my lunch plate I was caught up in a swirl of nostalgia and wonder at how things have changed.

Then, rising from the reflective eddy came a question: Are we an Etch A Sketch church in an iPad world?

It is easy to hear this as an either/or question laden with value judgments resulting in a division of the household of faith into something like “Etchers” and “Padders.” That’s not how I hear it. Etch A Sketch and iPad are very different means of creative expression and engagement with the world. Placing them alongside one another they become metaphors for the contemporary church’s creative expression of the gospel and its engagement with the world for the sake of that gospel. Such metaphors can lead us into fruitful discernment and effective engagement with God’s mission of healing and hope in the world today and into the future. In fact, this sort of playful reflection and conversation might assist us in living into this new day like the early apostles did in their new day. (Now would be a good time to read Acts 10-15 if you haven’t lately.)

For example, I am struck with the self-contained nature of the Etch A Sketch in comparison to the iPad. A person can create beautiful images by twisting those white knobs with care and precision guided by his or her creative vision. But the Etch A Sketch has no built-in interaction with or input from outside the etcher’s immediate local context. An iPad, by nature, penetrates boundaries to provide multi-directional engagement with the world. It is, by default, connected to and welcoming of interaction, resources, insight and input from an almost infinite number of sources far beyond the user’s immediate context. While we can come up with some pretty creative mission and ministry by turning the knobs of the self-contained resources right at hand, might the church, including your congregation, benefit from more immediate, intuitive and multi-directional connection with people, resources, and perspectives from well-beyond the usual red-rimmed boundaries we tend to work within?

Are we an Etch A Sketch church in an iPad world?

Let’s talk about this. Post a comment here. You can also email me, send me a note by mail, chat with me when I visit your congregation or you catch me at Starbucks. Let’s use this metaphor to help each other find faithful and effective ways to follow Jesus into this 21^st century world. In mid-September I will share more of my thoughts about this and respond to some of yours as well.