I noticed something disturbing recently as I watched a powerful sermon on YouTube. What was disturbing was that it did not respect the sacred intimacy of the service. If you have been a Christian for any period of time, you may have experienced Sacred Intimacy. It is the ability to be surrounded by people in the house of God while worshiping or praying, but feeling the presence of only God. It may seem strange that there can be singular intimacy with God that is present even while you are surrounded by many people, but there is. Many, including myself have experienced it. Picture yourself in the pews, with people all around you, but you feel the presence of Holy Spirit communicating with you, and only you. You become aware that Holy Spirit is healing, bringing comfort, guidance and strength. Holy Spirit is providing what you need in that moment, and no one and nothing around you matters. Yes I can have that same experience at home, but there is something special about sharing it with several others at the same time in the same space. Intimacy in a crowd seems like an oxymoron, but there it is, a spiritual mystery. When I watched the sermon online I was aware that the congregation was being videotaped and this distressed me. I wasn’t disturbed by the videotaping of the pastor or those on stage who were providing the teaching, announcements, or the music. I was only disturbed by the videotaping of the congregants. I felt like I was a voyeur into their intimate moments. If I were in the service I would not be looking around, I would be simply having my own moment with Holy Spirit. However the camera and the TV screen shared with me everything that was happening in this other setting, where I was not. It showed me the facial expressions as people listened and emotionally responded to what was happening in the service. I witnessed people’s tears; I even got to hear prayers prayed over them by church leaders who were praying over those who came down to the front of the church for prayer. The camera showed me who lifted their hand for prayer when the pastor offered prayers for specific situations (“anyone experiencing problems in their marriage, anyone who is struggling with addictions,” etc.) I was now aware of who was struggling because they were caught up in the intimacy of the moment and with no thought to the cameras, they raised their hands and accepted prayer. But there is no intimacy if a camera is recording everything. That is the issue I have with cameras in the church. Yes I want to be able to attend service remotely, but I worry that churches forget that there are parts and aspects to their service that shouldn’t be broadcast beyond the people who are present at their meeting. Am I wrong about this? I don’t think so. I don’t think I want my tears to be memorialized in a video for hundreds and sometimes thousands to see. I am not an exhibitionist. I want my intimate times with my savior to remain so. God, myself and the few people who surround me in this public, yet private space are the only ones who can witness my pain. It is not for the masses. Do churches need training on social media ethics and ways to maintain the privacy and intimacy of their worship services and prayer service? From what I am seeing online, the answer is “Yes”. If you belong to a church that broadcast it’s services, is your church media department sensitive to this and conservative in what they show to people outside of the live event? I hope they are, but if they aren’t can you bring up this issue with them? Yes we want to spread God’s word to the masses, but we also want to build and maintain a relationship with God that is loving and intimate. We want to make sure that we are not being like the world that says all experiences need to be documented and curated for the masses to gain clicks and likes on social media. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:5–6 When we engage in worship, it is about a singular relationship, not a relationship with many. God has relationships with many; we have a spiritual relationship with one, The One. Our places of worship need to remain undefiled, like the marriage bed. Let’s keep our sacred spaces, sacred.
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AuthorAllison is a Professional Life Strategist, helping busy professional women maintain healthy relationships professionally and personally as they move forward in their lives. She gives you tools to build the life you want. Archives
April 2023
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