Hello,
I was doing some research for a recent educational series on
“big questions”, and the big question of the day was, “Creation. Was God involved in it?” In my research I learned many things,
things that I never knew. I
learned that although the most popular theory amongst scientists is the “big
bang” theory, there are some who now believe that the universe has always
existed. Also, there are many who
believe that the universe, our universe, is only one of many universes (there’s
something oxymoronic going on here), and other universes may operate under
different laws of physics.
It’s all a bit mind swirling for me. It all makes me feel microscopically
smaller and smaller. It makes me
wonder if anything that I do has any significance. It makes me wonder why the One who stands behind and
throughout all of creation would care at all about me. It makes some wonder all the more if
there really is One who stands behind and throughout creation.
But for me, creation is not the cornerstone of my faith, my
life, or my thinking. The
cornerstone of everything for me is in a Bethlehem born, Nazareth raised,
Galilean homed, Jerusalem
crucified, and garden tombed raised man whose name was Jesus. It is through this historical
person and events that I look backwards and forwards.
·
Rather than wondering why the One who stands
behind and throughout this immensely vast creation would care about me, I find
myself lost in thanks that that One does.
·
Rather than wonder if any thing that I do has
any significance at all, I find myself motivated to do good awaiting in
amazement to discover the impact that my good has.
·
And rather than wonder if there is One who stand
behind and throughout all creation, I find myself woo’ed to believe and trust
in that one who is at work re-creating me.
Sunday was Pentecost, the day that the Holy Spirit came upon
Jesus’ first disciples, sending them out into the world to tell every person,
from every nation, and of every tongue “the mighty acts of God”. Although we don’t know exactly which
acts of which they were speaking, we can be quite confident that they were
speaking of the mighty love of God such that he would send his Son into our
world and die to stake his eternal claim on us, and the mighty love of God that
brought life back into Jesus on that first Easter Sunday morning, and such he
walked out of that sealed tomb to never die again, and likewise we.
Certainly, the making of creation was a “mighty” act, but
the disciples weren’t talking about that.
They were talking about Jesus, through whom the creation of the universe
finds its meaning and purpose.
They weren’t offering “logical” proofs for the existence of God. They were talking about Jesus who
enabled them to see the God that they could not see. They weren’t talking about world religions and Bibles coming
apart at the seams. They were
talking about Jesus who embodied the love of God and who was, himself, the Word
of God.
When the first Christians were thrown out of the synagogues
who gathered for worship on Saturday, they made a decision that has held
through history. They decided to
no longer worship on the 7th day of the week, a day that was tied to
one of the Biblical stories of creation.
They decided to worship on the first day of the week, a day that was
tied to that Bethlehem born, Nazareth raised, Galilean homed, Jerusalem crucified, and garden
tombed raised man whose name was Jesus.
The day through which all things past was brought into focus, and gave
focus to all things yet to come.
So, come to church on Sunday, (every Sunday is meant to be a
“min” Easter) and join in the celebration of the mighty acts of God, the death
and resurrection of Jesus…..and who knows, maybe this will be the Sunday when,
by the power of the Holy Spirit you are given the language to speak to someone
who has not heard of the grace and mercy of God that will make their life brand
new.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace,
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
No comments:
Post a Comment