Manti Te'o, online relationships, and real people

Having moved 400 miles away from my hometown after 37 years this past year I value online communication via Facebook and e-mail with those I left behind.  That long-distance contact helps us keep in touch and eases the pain of being away from friends and family.  There's one big difference between those online relationships and the one that Manti was a part of (whether he knew it was a hoax or not); I actually know these people.  I've had conversations with them face to face, we've built relationships over time that have included shared acts of kindness, we really do know each other.
There may be some value to having a purely online relationship with someone, but there's one important thing it will never have; human contact.  The germaphobes may not appreciate this, but handshakes, hugs, and actually talking to someone (while not checking your cell phone every two minutes) are all integral parts of genuinely meaningful relationships.
As the age of electronic communication progresses, here I am "talking" to you on a blog, this will become more and more important to the building of healthy relationships.  The value of taking the time to be with someone and investing in them will only increase as it becomes more rare in society.
This is also an incredible opportunity for the Church to minister.  There are some who worry how the Church will cope with the changes in technology that seem to make our weekly gathering seem obsolete; they're worrying over nothing.  The Church will continue to be the place where authentic relationships happen, where people care about you even before they know you, and where you can get some heart-felt human contact.  People will want to talk to you, they'll offer to pray for you, and they may even give you a hug whether you want one or not.
To a generation yearning for authenticity, needing to feel connected, and hoping to find people who are willing to put in the time to actually know them, the Church can (and should) be a haven, a place of refuge from the 24/7 hurry up world that won't slow down for anyone.  How do we reach a generation that won't respond to anything except a text message, with a warm smile and a hug.

Sermon Video: "Nothing new under the sun" - Ecclesiastes 1:4-11

We live in a world of fast paced change.  It seems that something new appears almost every day.  Yet is any of it really new?  Solomon realized 3,000 years ago that human existence was simply repetition of the ideas and efforts of previous generations.  The earth remains, we are here for but a moment.  How can we find purpose and meaning if human existence never really improves?  It is only through God's effort that we are able to accept the sacrifice of Jesus which will begin the process of transforming our human nature and removing the sin which dooms human attempts at self improvement.  In the end, without God's help, there will be nothing new under the sun.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video