For a little over a month, I have traveled to different countries and have met many types of people. During this time, one thing was constant in its absence - I didn't have my cell phone with me. In Ghana and during my following trip to Canada, my cell phone didn't make a peep because it wasn't with me.
In Ghana, I noticed the different pace of life right away. People always had time to ask how you were doing, to smile, to shake hands and share the shade together. Even though our schedule was full, we drank from the deep well of the present moment, which always seemed to be wide and generous. Back in the US, the present seemed like a fleeting instant. In Ghana the present increased in depth, as if to fling wide the door and sit back to welcome the wanderers in.
These words sound a lot like the way we introduce communion, when we speak of the glorious feast of the people of God, the table that always has room for one more guest and the reconciliation that happens between God's people.
What if the present moment were as holy as communion? Could it nourish and heal us in the same way? How would a different sense of being in the present change us as a people?
I have made amends with my cell phone, though I still leave it behind from time to time and completely forget to listen for the ring. It's good to be back to work and to get back in touch with the congregation to which I am called. And as I return to my routine, I will bring the broad and welcoming present moment with me.