Lighten Up!

The province of Ontario is going to ban incandescent light bulbs because they are inefficient in their use of energy. They generate far more heat than light, so we will all be expected to use the next generation of light bulbs. That's not correct -- we will be expected to move past the next generation, which is compact flourescent, to LED lights, such as the the night light pictured above. I heard this morning that until the 1920's light bulbs were made individually by glass-blowers. A single machine ended that mode of production.

It got me thinking about the way the church works. We like to say that we reflect the light of Christ in the church, yet we often seem stuck in the solutions of previous generations.

On Sunday St. Paul's called another full-time staff person with responsibility for youth and families.

This is a bold step and God only knows if it will be successful. All the concerns about finances and other things are valid. Yet I also feel that we will at least attempt to move forward as a congregation, which is already one of the healthiest in the presbytery, into the next generation -- or two.

Invention and imagination are in short supply in mainline churches. There is such a "woe is us" pessimism these days, and too many choices made out of desperation rather than vision or mission. I'm so tired of it, to be honest. Where did the boldness of our denomination go?

I figure I would rather fail than not try to be faithful to the mission of being the "light on the corner," which will always be the light of Christ. We'll see!