Thought for Today
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
1 Kings 19:11 . . . but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
John 1:2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
Why? Is that word the scariest, most threatening word in our English language? Is it the most challenging question ever asked? As most parents quickly learn, it is also assured to prompt additional repetitions of that same question. Why? (not ‘why’ does it prompt additional questions; simply why is it such a frightening word!)
Some days, the world around me seems to sing Morning Has Broken and resonates to all the beauty and wonder in God’s Creation. Other mornings seem to echo Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with the clash and thunder of cannons firing continuously.
Our world is still emerging from the devastation of a pandemic. We are struggling to understand the magnitude of its impact on the lives of all of us, especially our young children. We witnessed the horror of the flash flooding in Kerrville, Texas. The media are still reporting the earthquake in Afghanistan.
I still remember hearing in my seminary class on Systematic Theology about the Leibnizian Dilemma. My professor presented it as “It is impossible to reconcile an omnipotent God, a loving God and the existence of evil.” I am sure others have phrased it differently, maybe even more elegantly, but the basic problem for Christians remains. How can we understand the world in which we live? How can humans, as created beings, understand the ‘whys’ of our Creator’s Creation?
Our ancestors who laid down for us their understanding of it all in the Creation Narrative in Genesis repeatedly wrote, “And God saw that it was good.” Their understanding of Creation reflects the love of God for both Creation and for all its creatures. But, their understanding of God’s goodness struggles to explain the realities of all around us. There are fires; there are earthquakes; there are hurricanes; there is evil. They attributed the devastation of Sodom and Gomorrah to a punishment from God. For what sin were those children in Kerrville punished?
Why? Why are there forest fires? Why are there flash floods? Why are there hurricanes? Was the author of 1 Kings correct? Was God not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire? If those naturally occurring geological and meteorological phenomena were not a planned part of God’s Creation, from whence did they come? Was COVID 19 a punishment, or was it a naturally occurring event, the mutation and evolution of a virus?
Today is a beautiful day in Tewksbury, MA. As I look at the field behind our home, seeing the grass, flowers and trees, I hear the melody and words of Morning Has Broken. As I listen to the television news, I hear Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. As I write these words, reflecting the thoughts spinning around in my mind, I realize that both tunes are part of God’s Creation and I remember “And God saw that it was good.”
The apostle Paul told the nascent Christian church in Corinth, “1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Will we in eternity fully understand the “Why?” of everything in Creation? Or, was Leibniz correct?
I believe the most important thing for all of God’s children to understand, now and in eternity, is the truth of the gospel message. Beyond any truth of theology or science there is the truth of “John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” and of "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." This morning, and every morning, that’s enough for Morning Has Broken to drown out Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
Stay safe, listen to the music of God’s Creation, trust God,
Pastor Ray