“Mom! Come look at this!” my twelve year old called from the living room. I sighed and set down the peanut butter knife, disrupted yet again from the task of making lunches.

“What?” I snipped as I made my way around the corner into the living room. In lieu of a verbal response, my son pointed to the masterpiece of innovative technology you see below.

“Wow,” I said, feeling a little guilty at my initial irritation. “That’s really impressive.” And indeed, it is. You see, these blocks only light up if they’re connected to the bottom blue rectangle. They don’t have to touch the blue rectangle, but they must be aligned in a way that the energy from the blue rectangle can flow directly through them. To be honest, I don’t understand all the sciency stuff behind it–I’m better at deconstructing Shakespeare than electricity. I just know that if the blocks aren’t aligned to receive energy from the blue bar, they don’t light up.

So, the fact that my son was able to build a non-linear lighted column with the blocks is pretty impressive. Somehow he figured out a way to connect the blocks to the energy source without relying on traditional construction methods.

I think these light-up tetris blocks are a great metaphor for our faith life. Jesus, of course, is the light at the bottom of the tower. When we are connected to him, then we shine his light into the world. When we are disconnected, our spirits are darkened, and we cannot project what we do not have. This is why it’s so important to stay connected to Jesus.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am passionate about the study of Scripture. I believe that the study of Scripture is paramount to faith development. In Scripture, we see the heart and mind of God. We learn of his faithfulness, mercy, forgiveness, and love. We understand our place in this world, that we are called to be disciples to all the nations and share God’s message of salvation. In Scripture we find our hope, as we read time and again of God’s promise of reconciliation and restoration for all his creation. In Scripture, we gain strength and confidence, as we see the faithfulness of those who have gone before. In Scripture, we learn of God’s triumph over death, and claim our own victory as God’s children and heirs.

Scripture is one of the most important tools we use to stay connected to our spiritual power source. When we take the time to be in God’s word, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit grants us wisdom and understanding. The Spirit helps us see the big picture of God’s great love. The Spirit moves us to act on God’s word, and to share God’s message of hope with others.

Scripture connects us to God and gives us light. Jesus tells his disciples, in John 10, that he is the light. When we follow Jesus’ words and example, we will not be stumbling in the darkness of a world that seems to be continually in chaos. Rather, we will be walking in and carrying God’s light. When we walk in Jesus’ footsteps, we connect others to the light as well. And so, we build a glorious tower of multi-colored light reaching out into all the world that is rooted in God’s eternal and brilliant glory.

This week, ask yourself how connected you are to the Light. Are you placing yourself in a position to receive God’s Spirit? Are you actively working to bring God’s Light to others? Are you connected to your power source?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara