We are so
in a very, very, big
yet…we
are
Not
We are never
Alone.
In our
little nature
God
In our small view of things
He is…
So why do we
struggle with our
Do we falter
why do we
our
existence?
Here is
a Reassurance:
God.
….
-just a thought.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14
Recently a new television series on science and the universe began on the FOX television channel. It is called “The Cosmos” updated and adapted from the the original series by Carl Sagan.
It’s host is American astrophysicist, author and science communicator Neil deGrasse
Tyson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson
Some fundamental Christians might be offended by this television series due to the absence of the Creator and in some cases how the church in the middle ages is portrayed. I honestly am not offended by either of these, in fact I find myself fascinated by the universe and how far science and our human exploration has come since the original series was aired in 1980.
You see for me science and our Creator go hand in hand. When I watch this series and other series’ about the universe I can’t help but marvel at the vastness of God’s creation.
Tunnel Vision:
It is my belief that sometimes we of faith in God limit our understanding of a limitless Creator. We can become so fixated on the details of creation and how it was made and how long it took to make it. Granted I recognize too that science and those who solely rely on its tangible data can also have tunnel vision when theories of space and the ever expanding universe are completely quantified and accepted as concrete truths. By this I mean to say that when something becomes accepted as truth it is very hard to change that acceptance if more evidence comes along to shake that truth apart. For instance at one point people believed that the Sun revolved around the earth but we know now that the Earth actually revolves around the Sun.
What I am trying to say is that this Universe is amazing and wondrous and we who have faith in God shouldn’t be afraid to explore it and study it because I believe it points right back to Him! Recently I wrote that we cannot put God in a box and completely quantify his majestic nature, and when it comes to the Universe we can only begin to catch a glimpse of how deep and how wide God’s love is for us (Ephesians 3:18) along side His truly mind-boggling creation of the Universe around us.
Recently I have been teaching a bible study in our church (Corps) on the book of Revelation. In this study I have stressed over and over again to our little class not to get so caught up in the interpretation and meaning of the symbolism of John’s vision and even various theories of the apocalypse for that matter. In other words don’t lose the forest for the tree, don’t get so bogged down in the details that you lose sight of the bigger (much bigger) picture! In the very same sense, the series of the Cosmos on FOX and other studies of our Universe should be looked at in this way as well. How amazing is our God and that of His vast creation around us. How small we are in His Universe, and though we may not comprehend it all, we should begin to see how much He loves us and how precious we are to Him.
“…your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14
We were sitting in the car, another long drive up and down the mountainside. Where were we? On vacation in Yellowstone National Park. Looking out of our windows which were slightly to moderately marred by finger smudges, forehead grease and happy meal stickers, we became enthralled with the landscape around us.
Everywhere we turned, our eyes fell upon sights that are difficult to describe, yet magnificent to behold. In the back seats our older boys who had been previously engaged with electronic devices in hand now found themselves on the edges of their seats soaking in the landscape as it traveled past our rear bumper like a people-mover at an airport. We found ourselves a midst trees and rock and mountain located inside the heart of an underground, still active volcano. Wild life teemed all around us as if undisturbed by our passing presence there. Ravens, nearly the size of adult predatory hawks stalked the picnic areas looking at us with its cimmerian eyes black as night and cawing with its haunting and foreboding calls as if to say ‘pay your price, pay your price and feed us!‘
Our journey there, coated in mystery, brought on its coat tails the afternoon rains and fog. They swept swiftly in lathering the vistas with a deep apprehensiveness with wild abandon. Mesmerized, we carted off the beaten paths, viewed the very hand prints of God as pots of steaming rock burnt its undeniable offerings to the heavens. 
How could one not believe in a place like this? To find solace as we kiss the faith of the One who created such a wonderment? As God, in all the wrapped mystery and awe spoke such foundations of rock and earth into being…it is no wonder we found our jaws on the floor or in the seats of our van? Is it no wonder that we lost track of minutes, even hours as we soaked in His presence like nourishment to the soul?
There was this strumming in our hearts as if we had come close to the very doors of eternity, catching mere glimpses of God through His marvelous works, drawn out and craft over thousands, even millions of years. Yet the strumming hasn’t ceased…it still continues now as I write these words. I pray it continues in the throbbing valves of my children’s hearts until they see the very face of God as well. For born out of this solitary journey we touched His hands and kissed His feet. We brought the expensive perfumes and anointed Him head and feet knowing just moments in His presence was more than we deserved…and yet He called us His own. Yet we found Him and His heart. We were caught so blindly unaware of His passionate love for us. Blown away we staggered back, brought up short by His grace and mercy as love showered down upon we, the undeserved. In those moments on that mountain, in the heart of an active underground volcano we found God…and we are defiantly reticent to return to the way we once were.
-Gerald Manly Hopkins “God’s Grandeur”.
Like the sorrows of the sea
drifting back and forth,
froth with foam
deep as the midnight sky
a firmament of wonder
that stretches out far beyond
our eyes can see…
there we find our humble
existence.
There we recognize
just how finite we are
within an infinite realm.
As the ebb and flow
the undertow
and the currents of time
cast us about messages in bottles
and washed up wreckages
we tell our tale, a story to share
existential clarity
never charity but love
centered and fine.
This pure hope resounds
keeps stillness at bay,
at arms length the death knell
is silenced.
Thankful
I close my eyes…
and enjoy this journey.
Psalm 1:3 (NIV)
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”
It is a sunny day today, a sort of resplendent day that makes one long that each and every day would remain just like this one. It is a spring day, still turbulent in the unpredictable nature of the weather…the wind is gusting as it normally does in late April in the Western hemisphere. The temperature will undoubtedly drop this evening as the teasing warmth of the sun will drop below the horizon and we will find our wind breakers, which have now replaced our winter downs who are hanging lonely and longingly in the back of the dark closet once again.
Sitting in the sun shine, for even but a moment, one can hear the louder than whisperings of the Nor-Easter winds as they wrap themselves intimately, sometimes violently around the tall jack pine and the juniper trees that huddle together in our mini ecosystem that is our backyard. On one brief moment it even appears as if the tall jack pine might succumb to the wind’s wrestling match, as a strong gust threatens to topple its long presence of standing at attention. The branches, bending unnaturally, any moment a cracking sound might emanate giving credence to perishing callings of the wind. Yet, no terminal sounds occur, the pine has survived this round unscathed…still standing tall.
As a lowly house cat suns herself on the back porch, the trees hold fast. After all, they have stood the test of time…thus far. Their roots, deeply planted, grounded and stretching out like unseen tendrils beneath the still cold and damp earth of spring. A test to its created design, nourished and prepared for whatever the winds, changing and constant, can throw their way.
Watching such a witness of God’s grandeur, one begins to see the depth of wisdom forged within man as we too face winds of change, speaking much louder than a whisper to our human existence, beckoning us to succumb to its force and pressure. How deep do our roots descend? Like the conifers in their stately display, do our roots spread out like fingers spidering their way deeply beneath the rich earth? Are we grounded in the fertile and fortified soil? Will we stand the test of time? It all culminates in this epic survival and constant journey. A Creator longing for his creation to remain steadfast, deeply rooted and unafraid of that which seeks to upend and destroy.
Why be unafraid? One might ask. Our courage isn’t found from within but from without. A God who richly loves, boldly equips and fiercely defends. Our courage, our longevity and sustaining grace comes from Him…if we allow Him to do so. Then, we too with roots deep within our Father in Heaven, will never be shaken, never be broken and forever be defended by the Creator of all things.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
Pastor's Ponderings 