Spirit of Worship by Carol

Early on October 4th David and I drove up to the Ozarks in time to join Zoom worship from our cabin. The weather was beautiful and we had the road to ourselves, but the best part was what happened in worship. We talked about it afterwards. How easily we sat still with quiet focus, how deeply we had felt the Spirit.

What was it that made it special? Being in a happy place? Sitting together rather than apart as we usually do? Maybe that and other things unthought-of, but even more importantly, we wondered if we could make it happen again at home in Memphis. That morning the Spirit arrived serendipitously. Could we also invite the same spiritual depth by taking fore thought?

I hope so. Perhaps we can find a special spot at home away from the work-a-day world of our offices – a spot we could dedicate to worship. We could go to this place – just as we used to go to the meetinghouse already beginning to center in anticipation of worship. But maybe the feeling of deeper spirituality did not just happen to us. There were 18 squares on the Zoom screen that morning with perhaps 20 Friends gathered for worship. Maybe what we experienced was a gathered meeting on Zoom.

A special place seems to be important, yes, but we also need a community to worship with: a community of Friends who are present for each other as we listen for the still, small voice. Over the years we have all learned how to do that in person – seasoning the meetinghouse, seasoning ourselves by coming back Sunday after Sunday simply to sit together in silence being present for one another. For me, being present in the Zoom space means keeping my video on, being visible in my square for the full hour, and being as relaxed and still as possible -- remembering to breathe, letting the hour unfold.

I usually pause at the third and last step before joining Zoom worship – pause and check to see what others will see when I click the last JOIN button. Am I centered in my square? Is my background tranquil with no distracting movement? Is the lighting okay? Do I feel prepared for worship? Surely these things help generate Spirit in the virtual space just as similar mindfulness does in the real world of the meetinghouse.

The spirit of worship can be found anywhere, I guess, if we put out a welcome mat.