Tonight, our family sat down and watched some of the videos on YouTube together with awestruck eyes and ears.

This is because we’re living in an age where “it is happening” RIGHT NOW.

Sometimes it’s hard to notice it when you’re in the middle of things.  But we got a chance to step back tonight and get a glimpse of what is happening in our world today from a very macro perspective.  Even my 7 year old took notice.

It was all the more encouraging for some of the latest projects I’ve been working on in ministry today.

What was so remarkable and why?

The videos we watched were about the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.  The project visioneers planned out a symphony orchestra concert in Carnegie Hall, New York City.

The kicker is that  they posted the music score online, and held auditions online.  The finalists practiced online and then finally came together in April 2009 to finally form the live in-person YouTube Orchestra in New York City.

Just think of what just happened!

Thousands of people got together from over 30 countries using the world wide web to connect with each other.  The Internet was not the destination, but a merely the collaboration medium.  This project was harnessing technology to access talent and diversity in a way which would never be possible without it.

And then they created.

…not just music! They created relationships that lifted up hope and fellowship in a global community.

Do you get it?  Community online is here. It’s real. It works.

This is all the more encouragement for churches that are creating online worship experiences today such as lifechurch.tv or liquidchurch.com

Worship is not necessarily restricted to brick and morter anymore.   While there are tons of downsides and pitfalls for church online, I hope that you can see the upside and awe-someness that we may be able to create in worshipping our God together.

It’s a new model.  It’s an evolving model.  But it’s a fully arrived model.  Church online isn’t going away anytime soon.

Church online is not for everyone.  But if it is the best way to reach out to some people, aren’t we called to do everything in our power as the Church to glorify God and share the Good News across the web as well?

So instead of throwing out rant after rant about what some god-fearing digerati are trying to do on the forefront, why not step up and provide some encouragement and constructive thinking?

Just think of the music we could make together!