Sacred Cynicism

What a week! Many of us dread Monday mornings, knowing that it is the start of a long work week. Sometimes, it feels like there is a black cloud hanging over your head, as we get ready for work. Unfortunately for us, the black cloud hanging over our head this week was not metaphorical, but was very real, and it brought a torrent of wind and damage to where we live. This week, right at 8 AM, when the reality of a long week usually hits home, a whole new reality struck this week. A reality with no electrical power.

We have grown so accustomed to modern life, that we forget what life is like without A/C, without TV, without internet, and without lights. Well, we had a history lesson this week. Most of us got a taste of how it is to live without being connected to electrical power. We would have read a book, but we cannot see the print by candlelight. We tried to play a game, but the Wii needed power. So we sat in stuffy houses, worried about when our food would spoil, and when the lights would come back on.

Some of us had a solution to the problem. We had generators. So we had extension cords running throughout the house, powering the refrigerator, a few lights and fans, and maybe the TV – so the family could watch a movie together. This was certainly better than not having a generator, but there were problems with this as well. A generator is just not as good as being connected to the power. A generator cannot run central air, there are cords running everywhere inside the house, and you keep having to get gas to fill the gas tank on the generator. It is a little exhausting. Even while the generator was running, we hoped that the power could come back on soon.

I wonder if there is a lesson in here for those who are Christians. Sometimes we can begin to think that Christianity is a heroic, self-directed quest to avoid doing wrong things. If we avoid the bad things long enough, we will get a reward someday. We should remember that Christianity is the living presence of the risen Christ at work in and through us. There is enormous grace, and benefit so long as we stay connected to our source – Jesus Christ. At times we find ourselves disconnected from our source, and attempting to go it alone. Maybe a storm of life led to us becoming disconnected, or maybe it is selfishness or sinful decisions that separate us from Christ. Like many of us with generators this week, we try to live the Christian life on our own. Instead of a vibrant relationship, we substitute this individual moral quest. Instead of being connected with others, we seek to self-generate our own lives, at our own peril.

Like my house this week during the blackout, pretty soon I have wires running everywhere in my life. I think we also find that it gets pretty exhausting finding the source or energy to generate our own spiritual strength. We gain so much from simply staying in relationship to God, and in relationship to each other. There is so much joy, peace, and grace for those who spend time with Christ, and in turn, each other. Like my generator, we can make it for awhile, but it just gets so tiring and tough to keep track of. Like me around 1 AM Monday night, we find ourselves longing to be connected once again. Not because the generator is bad, but because it is not near as powerful as being connected to the electrical system.

In this week where we have learned how much we depend on ComEd, maybe we can learn another lesson as well. It is great to be connected with Christ. I know many of us, if not most of us, can get along fine generating our own power, and governing our own lives. These are good qualities. It is good to be motivated, and self-directed. Perhaps we can learn it is nowhere near as good as being deeply connected with Christ – every day. I grow so tired of power blackouts – in every area of life.