Making Contact

This Eucharistic prayer can be found in the Book of Common Prayer:

God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise.....At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.

Did our film group make "Contact" February 10, at the home of Mark and Jill Tillotson? You bet we did!

What a theological powerhouse this movie was! We discussed topics about faith and doubt. We questioned how many times we have had to defend our beliefs. We looked at the ongoing conflict between science and religion. We talked about the search for truth....whose truth.....and how do you prove what you believe to be true.

The movie Contact, based on Carl Sagan's best-selling book, and dedicated to Sagan, explored the nature of truth, the evidence of science, and the evidence of the heart. Contact drew our attention to the vastness of the universe, reminding us that our Earth-centered perspective is limited and flawed. We were all amazed at the beauty and wonder visually expressed in this film. I think more than one of us left feeling fortunate to be a part of our "earth home," even as a tiny spot in this universe. We also realized how fortunate we were to realize that the God who created this earth can also see into the depths of our hearts and grant us love and peace.

If you haven't seen this movie in a while, rent it. Your concept of God will be enlarged, your appreciation of the universe will be gratified.

A question that was asked throughout the movie was, “Are we the only ones out there?”

The answer: “If we are, what a great waste of space!”

- submitted by Carol Beightol

** Parts of this commentary were taken from the book, Finding Faith At The Movies, by Barbara Mraz.