January 9, 2024 Newsletter. - Highrock's mission is to help people Connect to God Personally, Connect to God’s People, and Connect to God’s Purposes.
| Highrock MetroWest, 754 Greendale Ave. Needham MA
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to read more. Looking back at 2024, my reading list was meager. I am currently fascinated by a book by Christine Rosen called, The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. Rosen explores the profound effects of technology on human experience, particularly how it contributes to a sense of disembodiment where individuals increasingly engage with the world through screens rather than through tangible, sensory interactions. Rosen warns of the “extinction of experience” where traditional, physical engagements are being supplanted by digital interactions, leading to a diminished sense of community and personal presence. This phenomenon is particularly relevant when discussing the role of Christian community and the necessity of in-person gatherings, such as weekly church attendance.
Rosen’s book articulates how digital interfaces, while connecting us globally, can simultaneously isolate us from the local and immediate. This disconnection is especially poignant in the context of Christian fellowship where the essence of community is deeply rooted in shared physical presence. The Christian tradition emphasizes the importance of gathering together, an act that goes beyond mere attendance to foster a community where members can experience God collectively and support one another through life’s trials and celebrations.
Weekly church attendance serves as a counterbalance to the disembodiment Rosen discusses. It offers a sanctuary from the digital world, where individuals aren’t just consumers of content but active participants in a communal experience. Here, face-to-face interactions are not only possible but encouraged. Church services provide structured opportunities for people to engage in conversation, share testimonies, pray together, and partake in communal activities like singing or partaking in sacraments. This environment cultivates social skills and emotional intelligence, aspects of human interaction that are often underdeveloped or distorted in a primarily digital interaction space.
The Christian community, through regular in-person meetings, acts as both a social laboratory and a safety net. For many, church is one of the few places left where social interactions are not mediated by technology. Here, one learns the nuances of human communication, from body language to the tone of voice, elements that are lost or misinterpreted in digital communications. This learning environment is crucial in an age where social skills might otherwise atrophy from lack of use.
Moreover, the repetition of seeing the same faces, sharing in the life events of others, and participating in communal rituals like communion or baptism, strengthens a sense of belonging and identity. This continuity in human relationships can combat the loneliness and alienation that Rosen suggests are byproducts of our increasingly disembodied lives.
I remember, twenty years ago, walking into a church in Los Angeles not knowing a soul. I was a businessman and not a pastor. I didn’t have all those automatic connections pastors have. It was scary and weird socially, but the worship nurtured my soul! Hanging in there Sunday after Sunday, I got to know people, and they got to know me. And slowly it became…church! If that resembles you, hang in there, and come to SoulFood, feel awkward for a while, but in time, you’ll find MetroWest to be friendly, kind folks, and we aspire always to keep our worship an experience that allows you to get closer to God, God’s people, and God’s higher purposes.
What I’ve written here underscores the need to keep coming. Make the commitment to come often. As it has been said, Seven Days without God makes One Weak!
— Pastor George