Rev Gav
Communication
Luke 5:1-3
5 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
Reflect
When ever I imagined this story I could not figure out why Jesus would speak from a boat, but then, if you have seen the edge of the lake there, it makes perfect sense. The shoreline is not straight; it is a series of inlets with steep banks, therefore, if there was a crowd of people listening to Jesus, the easiest thing to do would be to push out in a boat into the middle of an inlet, then the crowds would able to see you and hear you on three sides. The acoustics would work a bit like a mini amphitheatre.
Jesus used his resourcefulness to be heard, but it would have been a waste of time if his message was not worth listening to.
Today, we have lots of ways in which we can be heard by a large group of people at the same time. Some of us have jobs in the media or we teach or perform, but nearly everyone can connect with a larger group online through social media, photo, or video sharing.
Every time we communicate, whatever the method, we need to think about the message that we are conveying. Are we communicating God’s message of love, peace, and reconciliation?
Do
Today, think about what message you are conveying — with the way you present yourself, what you say, and what you share. What message would you like to convey and what changes will you make to convey this message?
Pray
Holy God
Help me be aware of how I come across,
both face-to-face and online.
May my words, pictures and videos
be honouring to you,
and communicate something of your love.
This day and for ever.
Amen.
Think
The Internet has made it possible for anyone to reach a wide audience. How can we make sure that the message we share is Godly?
and then
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More and more i find what im saying online is misinterpreted or different tone perceived. Im holding on to what was said yesterday , whether in real or virtual world...May my gentleness by seen by all
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Tim Rogers wrote:
I understand what you mean Tim! In this polarized world, people tend to make wide sweeping generalizations after just a few words. It is definitely frustrating! I am slowly but surely learning to be thick skinned and gently responding to these often mean and nasty generalizations with grace but still standing my ground. It is something that requires practice, lots and lots of practice!
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So true. It is difficult to convey emotions or 'tone' through text alone, and sometimes what we write can be taken in different ways. Sometimes people think, for example, that we're being harsh or blunt when perhaps we're just writing something quickly, or without any emotional context.
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Rev Gav wrote:
So true x