Genesis 1:14-18
And God said, “Let there be
lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them
serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in
the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two
great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern
the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to
give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light
from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Comments
The development of powerful telescopes has allowed us a view
of the universe unimagined in ancient times. Science has shown us a universe in
constant motion; not only are planets in orbit around the sun, but all galaxies
continue to expand.
The immensity of the universe, with “billions and billions
of stars” as Carl Sagan so famously said, has led many to conclude that earth and
its religions are entirely insignificant.
The problem with those who reach such a conclusion is that
their understanding of God has not grown with their understanding of the
universe. This is not surprising given how many of them were told growing up that
they would have to choose between science and the Bible.
Faith’s perspective is captured in a famous hymn:
O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Reflections
Have your faith and understanding of God grown over
the years as you have learned more and experienced more of life?
Genesis says God has established “seasons and days
and years.” C. S. Lewis in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe wrote of an evil world in which it was “always winter, but never
Christmas.” Do you have a favorite
season of the year? Do you find something for which to be thankful in every
season?
Spring announces itself with shoots and blooms. Fall announces itself with leaves turning colors. Winter arrives with a white blanket. Each evokes a sense of the moment, the transfer of energy and...grace...in these gifts. Summer does not similarly arrive, not as a detectable moment. Perhaps it is realized as having been there for awhile, unnoticed but still warming us, growing things. Hmm. I just realized that Summer is my most God-like season...because I don't notice until I feel joy it its accompaniment. In "Surprised by Joy" C.S.Lewis says that joy is something that we don't feel until the reason for it is past - like the sand formed by the departed wave. His late wife's name was Joy....
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said, John. Thanks.
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