The Reality of the Eucharist

I'm not a huge fan of the idea of emerging church. I will admit that I say that mostly on my own account, but I feel that some of my friends too would agree with the sentiment. I'm not one who thinks we should drink coffee in the pews, or god forbid get rid of the pews altogether. Nor am I one who wants to move our services into the future - or more accessible style of worship that include powerpoint, video, and projection screens. I have had more than my fair share of conference calls, media exchanges, and video conferencing in the business world; when I find myself entering into the world of the divine I like for it to be an escape of sorts. I, and I think my friends as well, enjoy the incense that gathers at the pitch of the roof, the procession of the cross, and the candles on the altar.

Keeping in mind the slightly old-school idea that I find myself, and my friends operating from makes it very odd for me to discuss the idea of meta-eucharist. I don't know what the eucharist is all about completely, and yet I still find it to be a powerful representation and participatory act of my own devotion to the church.

A friend was telling me of this idea of mailing a eucharistic host to her god-child in South Africa, and then at a predetermined time they would start up a Skype conversation to celebrate the eucharist together. Have a priest present, and via the wizardry of the twenty-first century they would bless the host via-Skype, say prayers and share in the body of christ together.

The idea of blessing something through the technology of video-conferencing and the internet seems like such a crazy idea. But the fact that each party would be in communion with the other, even if not in the same hemisphere, creates a connection and bond that is key to the idea of what our worship revolves around.
The strangeness of it probably won't fade for me, and I truly hope that video-eucharisting won't become commonplace, but if you are in a remote part of the world and those with whom you share a common communion are nowhere to be found it seems like a fascinating alternative.