Just the other week, my local Fire Chief (surely one of the best job titles ever?) had to remind the public that, if they want to alert the emergency services to the fact that there is an uncontrollable blaze currently raging somewhere near them, it's probably best not to do it by email.
“Whilst we live in an age where technology is key and social media forms such a large part of our everyday lives, you muppets really need to use your brains at times."
OK, I might have changed that last bit of the quote a little, but you get the picture.
But do we? We might laugh at the idea of filling out the subject line with the words MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE, but the roots of the problem go deeper and spread wider.
Somewhere in the excitement about all that's in the world today, we can forget this simple, basic rule: people matter more than technology matters. People matter more that being the first person with the latest thing matters. People matter more than being impressive matters.
The beautiful paradox at the heart of sung worship is that we get to create art and offer it up to God. That's us, in all our flawed humanity and too-small view of the world, saying "look what I made" to the God who created the Himalayas, glacial erosion and the entire reproductive process. In comparison, can we even call what we do 'creation'?
But we can. Why? Because, with God as with emergency calls to the fire department, people matter. It's the attitude of the heart not the work of the hands that counts.