Clinging to the Cross or to the Cell Phone?

In times of distress, fear, or uneasiness, the Lutheran tradition teaches us to cling to the cross of Christ. He will bring comfort, hope, mercy, faith, and love. 

Yet, as a girl of the 21st century, I find it so much easier to cling to the comfort of my smart phone. In times of distress, anxiety, fear, and stressfulness, my hand is glued to that magical button that awakens the power of the internet, the contact to close friends, and the ability to figure out what ever may be happening in the world. 

In times of not wanting to be present in the moment, it brings comfort and the opportunity to escape. In moments of broad communal distress, the Twitter feed becomes a way of processing. In the urges for the presence of people, in a moment I can become connected. However, it is not always this positive, euphoric tool. When I am waiting for that person to call me back, the moments inch by exceedingly slow. When my mom leaves the voicemail saying that my dad is in the hospital, I feel the need to become more connected. 

Can the crucified and resurrected Christ be present today in unconventional ways? I recently listened to a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4WKle-GQwk) about how a man found Christ through the internet. He was suffering from a terminal illness and through the power of people of rallying for him to get a lung transplant he found Christ. The power of the cross became manifest in the lives of strangers whom he will never meet. The gospel message of love beyond all odds shone through as a deep entrenchment of community. 

I tend to find a similar form of comfort in my cell phone. I may not have a terminal illness but in moments of deep vulnerability I cling to my smart phone. I seek out whatever emotion I need at that time, and pray that I do so in appropriate ways. And I am becoming more and more clear, that this is not false idol worship, but instead an opportunity to engage my Christian heritage in a new way. It becomes a way to be present with my faith, culture, and daily life all at the same time. Maybe that was  the purpose of the cross in the early Christian church, to become a symbol of faith, culture, and daily life-all at the same time. A way to experience the life, death, and resurrection of the messiah. The prince of peace. The gift of the Holy Spirit. The trust in God's grace. The undeserved love and forgiveness from God.