The year was 1953. The neighborhood had gathered in the living room of one of our neighbors. They were the only ones in our area who had a television. We had front row seats to history as we witnessed the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. I’m not sure what fascinated us more the coronation or that little black and white marvel called a television. We were being ushered into a marvelous new age. Our appetite would not be satisfied with only an occasional tidbit of historical drama.
Between the time that I had left home, caught three city buses and arrived on the campus of Miami-Dade Junior College a major event had taken place in Dallas in 1963. The campus was nearly empty. I was wandering through the halls wondering why my classroom was locked. Wondering why there were no classes going on in any of the classrooms. A janitor finally informed me that I should go home because the school was closed … the president had been killed. By the time I arrived back home the television was on and we had a front row seat to history.
That front row seat would be occupied as the horrific events of the Vietnam War played out in our living rooms. My parents had lived through the events of WWII, but that didn’t prepare them for what they were now witnessing live each night via news video from the jungles of that far away country. We were stunned at what we were seeing and then the fear settled in because I had to register for the draft. I could be called up at any time. My number was in the hopper. The reality that my life could be drastically changed by what we were seeing on the television was sobering. That front row seat changed our perspective on reality.
The year now was 1986. I was walking into the Sherman-Williams paint store in Jacksonville, Florida. Everyone was standing at the windows pointing up into the sky. Plumes of white smoke filled the eastern horizon, like a giant flower opening up. The space shuttle Challenger had exploded and the nation mourned the death of 7 astronauts. As the news footage played over and over and over again, we had a front row seat.
That front row seat had been occupied over a number of events from Dr. Martin Luther Kings’ I Have A Dream speech to his assassination. During the span of just a couple of years we witnessed the civil rights movement from the comfort of our living rooms. It was a safe place to bear witness. We could witness the historical events without getting involved nor have our lives disturbed too much.
We saw the riots, even in our own hometowns. Bore witness to historical events. Got up close and intimate with the leaders and the participants. Drawn into their stories, their motivation, their thinking, their reasons for getting involved. All from our front row seat to history … thanks to that little marvelous electronic device called the television.
And now, through the miracle of satellites, we, once again, have a front row seat to history as the hourly events in Egypt are unfolding before our very eyes. We witnessed just yesterday the Egyptian citizens’ jubilation as the news spread that their president was planning on stepping down only to see it turn quickly to fury and anger as President Mubarak continued to play the very dangerous game of politics. It has become another “stay-tuned-for-the-latest-news” kind of happening. What is amazing is that the cosmic shift that has taken place from witnessing the historic events via television to the power of social networking and cell phones. Because of this cosmic shift thousands of citizens throughout Cairo can think and move as a single force. Truly this front row seat can take your breath away. The world as we once knew it has drastically changed.
As I was heading to bed last night my mind began to play the game of “what if.” What if the social networking had been a reality during the time of Jesus? What impact would that have had on his life, his teachings, his miracles and ultimately on his death and resurrection? How would the world have reacted? How would it have influenced the decisions that Herod and Pilate made? I was just wondering … and then I was wondering how we, the church in the 21st Century, could use the same social networking as a force to transform not just one country like Egypt, but the entire world for the sake of the Kingdom? How many people could we draw away from their front row seats to actually participating in the events of the Kingdom as those events are being played out throughout the world?
I was just wondering … can you just imagine the influence … the power … the hope … the anticipation that we could unleash?
Quotes for today: A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength. ~Proverbs 24:5 … How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable? ~Seth Godin
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