The adverts I see and hear suggest that the really smart phones can keep their owners connected, with world news, facebook, pictures from all round the world, friends who are texting, twitter, as well as keeping an eye on their diet, exercise, diary, meetings,latest film reviews, music and the rest of life.
That is astonishing!
But what puzzles me is whether people who are so connected can actually connect at a personal level to the people they may encounter in their daily lives.
I guess we have all had the disappointing experience of talking with someone, when their attention appears to be somewhere else - either on their mobile phone's latest message, or by their looking around the room, or reading the paper or watch the TV.
Instead of being connected, we are too easily distracted!
St. Paul reminds us that as followers of Jesus, we have the privilege of being connected to the God who made us and loves us. 'But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.' (Ephesians 2.13, 17-18)
This is an astonishing gift.
Because Jesus died for us, we may be re-connected to God himself, and because of that, we may be connected with one another. These restored relationships - both vertical and horizontal - bring us into an experience of life and wholeness, love and peace, which make us new from the inside out.
Instead of becoming less human, by our over-connectedness through mobile phones and other gadgets, we become more human when we can look real people in the eye, and know the real love and presence of Jesus in the depth of our being. We must choose which sort of connectedness we want. I know what I am choosing. Which is yours?
Best wishes,
Richard
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