31 Day Detox for the Tech-Weary Soul –Day 4: Carry the Light

 

(Links to Days 1-3 of our 31 Day Detox for the Tech-Weary Soul are located at the bottom of this post.)

 

I grasped the three foot Easter Vigil candle and pulled it from its stand at the fire pit. It was Saturday night and about forty of us stood in a circle by the rustic outdoor chapel. For twenty-four hours the lights had been dimmed in the Cathedral. Good Friday we had all left the cavernous darkness of the nave in silence. Tonight was Easter Vigil. The alleluias had returned. The light was rekindled.

 

I held up the candle and led the way to the cathedral stumbling over a newly laid mulch path and carried the light back into the sanctuary.  I dipped the flame under low branches. Parishioners sang behind me struggling to keep tempo as they stretched out along the path. 

 

I resettled the massive white pillar candle into its brass stand in the cathedral nave. As the flame flickered, light glinted over the silver and brass around the altar. Settling back into pews we listened to the overarching stories which had led directly to the open tomb:

 

*The kindling of light in creation and then the Fall

*Isaac’s near sacrifice and the provision of the ram 

*The Red Sea, the near defeat and the miraculous pathway

 

The children got antsy. Xavier fell asleep on his daddy’s lap but I this is one of my favorite services of the church year and I knew the journey would be worth the wait. We touched down in one story of God’s provision after another. Each story built to a crescendo with the resurrection.

 

 

It was while listening to Genesis 2 that I heard one of the verses emphasized.  God had come ready for a slow amble through the garden in the cool of the evening. I expect that it was their pattern. Work during the day: name and garden and build. And then another type of naming at night, simple gratitude: “Look, Adam, feel the leathery skin on this  pomegranate.” Then, watch this hummingbird. Taste this seed. Smell the rosemary after you rub it between your fingers. I imagine they shared that day’s “best of” list as they walked. I imagine that walking shoulder to shoulder amplified their delight.

 

 

But it was his mournful tone over Adam’s hiding that surprised me: “Adam, where are you?” I marked the weightiness of the words. I heard them again, this time personalized: “Summer, where are you?” It was not shame, though I recognized genuine disappointment. It was a reflection of God’s longing.

 

I wondered how often God comes in search for me. I wondered how often I am hiding deep in distraction. I wondered how often I miss the call for a slow amble down the path.

 

 

Here are today’s 31 Day detox questions for us:

When does the distraction of my phone create a wall of separation from God?

When is it a pathway toward Him?

What would it be like to bring the light of Christ’s Presence with us as we walk into our daily technology amble? What would it be like to invite God into social media with us?

 

*Hi friends, we’re exploring how quiet the inner bully of our phones and make it an ally.*

Catch up through these links here:

Day 1: Protect Your Time, Get an Alarm Clock.

Day 2: Prepare to Grow, Find your People.

Day 3: Give Thanks, Explore the gifts.

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