God is with us, especially when electricity isn’t.
Allow me to quote my favorite band, Radiohead: “Most people gaze neither into the past nor the future; they explore neither truth nor lies. They gaze at the television.” It may not be scripture, but I find that there is truth to this statement, especially when one lives in a dorm where electronic distractions (or detractions) are quite prevalent. I have yet to encounter a living soul who is without a cell phone and I am continually amazed by the number of “talkers” on my brief treks between classes - I often ponder the importance or triviality of their conversations. I also find it is hard to meet a music-lover who can part with their i-pod for more words than “hello”, a sports nut who can pry their eyes from the latest broadcast event, or a college woman who can go a week without being drawn into their favorite television program (or subjecting themselves to a bombardment of advertisements that usually accompany the event).
I wonder what life would be without all of these things. Could we survive without hearing the latest top forty songs at every waking hour of the day? Would we cease to function when the television no longer told us what to think? Wonderful it would be, when one could sit in silence and thought. Better yet, the day students could walk to class and allow the beauty of the campus to permeate their bodies. This, of course, is only wishful thinking.
On Friday, January 20, 2006, God sent down a miracle. The power went out. TV’s spontaneously combusted, instant messages were delayed, wireless connections were lost, stereo systems ceased to blare, time stood still, and the best part of it all… …students flooded the hallways. In the dim glow of the emergency lights, groups of people gathered in circles and down passageways to talk.
I found myself sitting with my friend Meredith at the time of the miracle, and when the electricity stopped coursing through our building, I invited her to a game of checkers by candle-light. We played and laughed until my room started filling with friends who had a similar urge: a good game in good company. Sean had brought a deck of cards and suggested a game in which the eight of us could participate. We all enjoyed ourselves as Katie hummed and sang familiar tunes, bringing smiles to those who sat around the too-small table. Becky joked about getting closer (with the impending drop in temperature) while Aaron discussed the vast potential of hide and seek in the apparent darkness.
When I looked around the table, I saw bright eyes, clear eyes, eyes untainted by the glare of a television screen or the luminescent glow of a computer screen. We were engaged in each other with no other distractions and the time we spent together was very memorable. Eventually, however, the flicker of candles paled in the brightness of the overhead fluores-cent lamp. The familiar thump of sub-woofers returned at full volume and the student body found its way back to its usual position on the couch.
A few of my guests took their leave, but those who remained were satisfied when the door to the outside was closed, the artificial lights were dimmed, and a new game began, by candle-light.
This situation reminded me of my congregation. When we wake up on Sundays, we all light our candles and make a light greater than that of our own. Our eyes are clear, and not distracted, as we come together in fellowship after each service. The light given off by our combined candles becomes more brilliant.
“No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”
-Luke, Chapter 11, Verses 33-36
Dear Lord,
Direct me in the path of your commands,
For there I find delight.
Turn my heart toward your statues
And not toward selfish gain.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
Preserve my life according to your word.
Amen.
-Psalm 119, Verses 35-37
Paul Thomas
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