Faith & daily life
At the heart of our faith is the belief that God meets us where we are in all the places and relationships in
which we live, work, play and relate. We pray, support and encourage one another as we grow deeper in faith
and learn to trust God with our whole lives. Some of us are new on the journey; others have been at it for
a while. All of us can find inspiration and hope in the stories of our fellow travelers. FAITH & DAILY LIFE will
be featured monthly with stories of God at work in YOUR life.
Ding... He is Risen Indeed!
by Anastasia Pydych
My husband and I looked forward to being at Bethlehem to hear the Easter
message and being surrounded by community, art and music. Somewhere
between a cup of coffee and picking out the Easter tie, my husband said he did
not feel well. Laying on the couch seemed like a good temporary fix, but it soon
became apparent that we were not going anywhere. I was resigned to
getting a jump on the potatoes au gratin. But wait! We didn’t have to miss
church!
Charlie, Anastasia, Evan & Ava Pydych
I settled in on the
floor for the reading
of the Gospel while
brushing my dog’s
tangled hair. Then,
I began to miss
my community...
Connectivity in faith
happens in all sorts
of ways including
technology.
For where two or three gather
in my name, there am I with
them.
Matthew 18:20
4
I remember reading in my CONNECT (online) that the Easter service was being
live-streamed. I hopped on the computer to the Bethlehem website and clicked
on the link to all things Easter. I found the link to print the service bulletin
and made two copies. I scrambled to make connection from my phone to my
television and to our delight, I witnessed members of the choir in the balcony
and Maria at the organ. Jackpot! My husband, Charlie, and I adjusted the volume
on the stereo and sang the opening hymn in the loudest and quite possibly
the worst way ever, but we managed a few harmonies. We watched as Pastor
Mary wheeled out with the aid of her leg apparatus and began to illustrate the
Gospel through a beautiful narrative. I settled in on the floor for the reading
of the Gospel while brushing my dog’s tangled hair. Then, I began to miss my
community. I began to miss my children, too. During the time for children, I
texted mine; Evan who lives in Seattle and Ava who was on vacation with a
friend. I sent them a link to the livestream and a picture of the television which
then beheld the choir in their bold blue robes framed by organ pipes and stained
glass windows. Pastor Ben threaded the ancient holiness of the resurrection
message with a story of a widow who took a daring parachute dive. My phone
dinged and the text from my son said, “Let’s go skydiving at the Grand Canyon.”
Another ding. This time from the daughter, “The Lord has risen.“ Ding. “He is
risen indeed!” responded my son. During the sharing of the peace, Evan sent a
picture with his two fingers making the peace sign. Ava sent an Easter blessing in
the way of a toast and invited us to clink our coffee cups.
There is a new meaning for me in the verse Matthew 18:20, “For where two or
three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew may not have been far
from the experience I had when worshipping Christ and needing to hear the
story with the community and family I love. Connectivity in faith happens in all
sorts of ways including technology. Just don’t even ask how badly we butchered
the Hallelujah Chorus.