This past week in the Northern Hemisphere we experienced an unusual occurrence. The “Northern Lights” (aurora borealis) were visible deep into the southern United States and other latitudes. With our light pollution most could only partially see that something in the northern sky was different. But as people tried their phone cameras in night mode, the sky exploded with color. And then the magic happened.
A friend texted a group with a photo he took and we started talking about it and taking our own photos. I glanced at X (nee Twitter) and saw that the weather accounts were receiving mentions with photos. Social media, in general, started buzzing with the photos and discussion. I noticed at least two friends post photos who had taken trips with opportunities to see the aurora in the far north that had been unsuccessful. I could write an essay just on seeing the spectacular where we find ourselves. But I observed a much more important experiential lesson across the internet for about thirty-six hours.
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For a while, human beings were so focused on a beautiful natural phenomenon that our interactions became filled with the language of beauty and wonder. Zack Hunt mentioned the experience of being outside with all the neighbors staring at the sky like “giddy schoolchildren” and that sums up the comments all over social media. For a few hours at least we forgot about all the polarization, the hatred, the fear, and remembered we are all human beings on the same planet capable of seeing and enjoying beauty. For many, this was a welcome respite from severe weather just days before. For others, it was a chance to revel in the beauty of nature.
When we focus on beauty, it is hard to be focused on the things dividing us. I imagined a world in which the Church tells a story of beauty rather than ugliness. I imagined a world in which Christians told the beautiful stories rather than attempting to do the work of the Spirit and convect people. This imagined world is one in which we are hearing stories so beautiful that we are compelled to learn more and enter into relationships that invite us to deeper transformation and healing. What if the imagined world became the dream of the Church such that we focus on the beauty rather than the ugliness of the way the powers in the world tell stories? Could we be a flourishing organism, spreading and changing the world? Could we be a positive force for change?
For that matter, what if we saw humanity as God does? What if we looked around and recognized the imago Dei (the very image of God) in our fellow human beings? Could we point to beauty in the Gospel of a God who is with us? A Gospel of a God who experienced the horror and shame of humanity’s violence, yet forgave? Can we point to this beauty with any credibility? The Church should be the lens through which the world experiences the beauty of God; but often we become a lens that obscures beauty. When people gaze at the Church, they should see the explosion of beauty in a God of love. We need to be telling the story of grace that overcomes through love.
What if?
The lead photo is mine. The other photos in this essay come from my friends Andrew, Dean, and Ryan