Light, Darkness, and a Flat Screen

There is something about light—the way it draws creatures; light attracts insects no less than people. I remember once when my wife and I were in Paris. It was summer but the weather was cold and rainy. After three days of downpours the sun finally emerged. And with the sun—with the light—people poured out of their homes and business to sit in the park with bread, wine, and cheese. Everyone was drawn by the light. 
                                                                                                  
Darkness, on the other hand, is different. Darkness can frighten us—whether we are eight or eighty. Once when I was backpacking in the mountains of Colorado I wandered away from camp to explore a trail. The sun set quickly behind a craggy snow-covered peak; and just as quickly darkness descended. Immediately I felt scared. Without light I was lost.     This is true of all forms of darkness: be it the physical, spiritual, or emotional absence of light. For example, the darkness of severe depression is frightening, as is divorce, or the loss of a job; these events can be more frightening than being lost in the darkness of the Rocky Mountains.      

God knows our need for light; after all, light was the very first act of God’s creation. But God also knows our need for spiritual light. For Christians, Jesus is the light of light, to use the phrase from the Nicene Creed. Jesus is light incarnate that leads us through the shadows of the world.                      

We may be seduced into believing that the light we long for can be found in the flicker of a new flat screen TV, or the glimmer of a diamond. The culture we live in does its best to tell us—and sell us—where to find light and life.  

But we know the truth, don’t we? We know that our lives will not be brighter, more meaningful, or hopeful if we get a new TV or a piece of jewelry. We know that the light we really long for does not come from things; the true light comes from God alone. Remember the light that rescues us from the darkness. Remember the light that is God’s love made flesh.       

Perspective: The annual question | StAugustine.com Mobile

Perspective: The annual question | StAugustine.com Mobile

In a Shopping Line at Target

My wife and I were Christmas shopping at Target. We were in the check-out line. Holiday music was playing. Lines were moving relatively fast considering the crowd. Generally speaking, the mood of each consumer seemed upbeat and convivial.

And then I heard this bass-of- a-voice coming from a thick-man two lines over. “I want to see a manager! I want to see a manger right this minute. I’m not leaving until I speak with a manager!”

The cashier, a lady who looked to be well-past the age of retirement and not in the best of health, asked the man not to yell. He yelled louder. And then a manager came over, at which point the man accused the cashier of being rude and mean.

A scene further developed when the man attempted to pull other shoppers into his battle, which he insisted sprang from a motive for justice. He was wronged by the old cashier in poor health, wounded by her joke, in which she asked if he wanted her job.

And then the upbeat and convivial lines became tense with fear. A shadow had been cast. The old cashier was removed and the bellowing man escorted to customer service. I no longer heard the holiday music. So I prayed for the man. And the cashier.

SEX and GOD

The word “sex” has over 3 billion result-hits on Google. By contrast, the word “God” does not even have 2 billion result-hits. I don’t know what to make of this. Google, of course, is a world-wide search engine so I can’t blame the discrepancy on the U.S. culture—or even on Western culture.

But what can we make of the disparity in result-hits? Why is “sex” a more popular topic on Google than “God?” Are people, statistically speaking, more interested in sex than in God? Or, is it that people feel they know less about sex than about God? Conversely, is God so mundane a topic that people aren’t as interested in researching the topic? Or, do people feel as if they are so familiar with God, like their own shoe size, that research on God is oxymoronic? Finally, does the wide margin of result-hits say something about the population who use Google and nothing definitive about people’s interest in sex or God?