Skype

My brother and his adorable family live in England. Prior to that, they lived in Ghana. Both locations create a significant commute, so, for the past 6 years our family found ways to interact to make up for the distance. We made videos and mailed them, we tried to visit when schedules and money allowed, we emailed, and we instant messaged. But, we ultimately found Skype to be the most effective. If you haven't found yourself in need of Skype, let me explain. The earth shattering moment when Alexander Graham Bell said “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you,” holds nothing to the innovation to real time interaction that Skype allows. We sit in Georgia, or Kentucky in my case, and have a face to face conversation with the rest of our family in Ghana or the UK. Thousands of miles away and over an ocean, but we are having a face to face conversation. I took a picture at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and felt compelled to tag Kirk in the picture when I posted it to Facebook because we were Skyping with him at the time. What is that impulse? He wasn't actually in the room. Why did I feel like he was there when he wasn't actually there? Because he was.

A theological term that gets batted around a lot in seminary is this idea of Eschatology. It's this fancy term for the study of the end of times. As Wesleyans we believe in an Already/Not Yet Eschatology. We believe that Jesus came to bring the Kingdom of God and it is presently entering this world, but will be fulfilled in the End. This implies a lot about how we should live and think about our time here on Earth now. It means that God is in the business of redeeming the world now. Jesus began with the incarnation, completed it on the cross, and left the Holy Spirit here to continue the implementation of that work when he ascended. He is here, healing. We can expect that the Jesus that saves us from our sin is doing so now. We can find freedom from ourselves here. We can begin the process to move on toward perfection. We are not alone. And, we don't have to wait to punch our fire-insurance card. There is hope for a new way of life now. When we pray "Kingdom, Come", we aren't praying for some event to happen years from now; we are acknowledging what we see happing right now! We join the Spirit already at work. Admittedly, this is a complicated theological term. And, unpacking it only makes it messier and more confusing.

A couple of nights ago, I rolled over and wrote on the note pad next to my bed these words: Skype - Already, Not Yet. That's it. Kirk was here with us at Thanksgiving, but he didn't taste the sweet potato casserole. We interact Kirk and his family in every way possible, aside from the physical. We can't hug him. So, he's not yet here, but he is. We have a relationship that sits in the tension of Already! Not Yet. He can know what I'm thinking and feeling, be moved by my feelings, and vice versa. We can share so much over the computer. I am grateful that I live in a time that being separated from my brother doesn't mean a pause in our relationship. So what does that look like?

I've played hide and go seek over Skype: Already!

But Kirk couldn't give me a high five when I got a new job: Not Yet.

Aidan once read us a verse that impacted him that day: Already!

But I couldn't turn the page for him: Not Yet.

In Ghana, Nicole showed us what she and Gifty were cooking for dinner: Already!

I couldn't smell it: Not Yet.

May you see the Kingdom of God as being here now while still waiting for what is yet to come!

Soundtrack: I'm not a girl, not yet a woman; Britney Spears