Drive-in Theaters have nothing on the behemoth seventy-five foot “Mega-Stadium” screens in many of today’s movie houses. The mammoth image and blast of Dolby Sound is a cinematic experience well beyond “it’s almost like being there.”

    At one of these places the action is all around you. This was never more true than when I took our son Elijah to the third installment of the re-released Star Wars Trilogy, The Return of the Jedi. As you likely remember, Luke Skywalker is torn (no pun intended) late in the story with a confusing set of family-of-origin issues regarding his father. As the final battle between good and evil begins somewhere in deep space, real world father and son were engulfed in the sights and sounds of digital technology blasting our senses to a new high. But an unexpected not-so-special effect jolted us back to reality.

    Bright lights began flashing along both walls of the room. The celluloid image of poor Luke sweating it out before the prune-skinned Emperor and the dark Darth Vader still shone on the screen. As the strobe effect made them seem slowly futuristic, I said to Elijah, “Wow, this is great!”

“We have an emergency. Please exit to the lobby.”

    But then the house lights came up, the movie went dim, and a taped voice came over the intercom. “We have an emergency. Please exit to the lobby as calmly, yet quickly as possible.” No longer were we lost in space, saddled with popcorn and soda-pop. We were rudely back in the present, finding our way down the steps to the hallway. Other movie-goers were, like us, curious as to the nature of the emergency. Slightly irritated, our fantasy excursion had come to an untimely and abrupt end. We all walked slowly the carpeted pathway to reality. As we neared the lobby, the cinema manager explained it was a false alarm. “Return to your picture,” he happily urged. There the movie continued and ended much as it did when I first saw it a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

    Yet I could not keep my mind off the strange interruption. Isn’t that the way it always is? Isn’t that the way it’s promised to be? Just when we least expect it, right when we’re convinced this world of make believe is the real deal, something will happen to remind us of The Truth. Not with flashing lights, but with sounding trumpets. Not an interruption, but a forever change. Not a false alarm, but a profound amen. In the twinkling of an eye, all that twinkles and glitters here will be gone.

    As the show began again, I turned to Elijah and said, “This is great, huh son?” He said nothing, settling back into his oversized reclining chair, full moon-like eyes taking it all in.