Contact: Did You Love Your Father? (Hebrews 11:1)

In the film Contact, we encounter Ellie Arroway, a brilliant scientist driven by an insatiable quest for evidence. Picture her standing in a sterile laboratory, the hum of machines surrounding her, her eyes glued to the screens that flicker with data. She’s spent years looking for signals from the stars, tirelessly probing the cosmos, convinced that every mystery can be unraveled through reason and observation. But then comes the moment that changes everything. As she travels through a wormhole, she finds herself face to face with an alien intelligence, which takes the form of her long-deceased father.

Imagine the emotional whirlwind she experiences—the warmth of his embrace, the sound of his voice, the flood of memories that rush back. It’s an eighteen-hour encounter that is profoundly transformative, yet when she returns, all that remains is a static-filled recording that offers no proof of what transpired. When congressional leaders press her for evidence, they are met with the stark reality: she has none. The weight of their skepticism hangs heavy in the air as they demand, “Do you have any evidence?”

Here’s where the brilliance of the film lies. Ellie, who once dismissed faith as naive, now finds herself in a position where she must ask others to believe her extraordinary experience, even without tangible proof. It’s a striking reversal: the scientist learns the fundamental truth that the priest has always known—some realities transcend measurement.

As Hebrews 11:1 teaches us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” In our quest for understanding, may we be reminded that some experiences, like love, joy, and divine encounters, are felt deeply yet often elude our ability to quantify. We may not have all the evidence, but our testimonies of God’s presence can light the way for others. What about you? Are you willing to believe in the unseen?