Thought for Today

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,  

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.  

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.  

Our New Testament reading tomorrow is from the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel and includes what I find one of the most comforting verses in the Bible, “28:20 And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."  

Every time I read those comforting words, however, the first thing which comes to my mind is, “How long is an age?” Which age (?) does Jesus mean. Jesus spoke those words during the first decade of the 1st century AD (or CE if you prefer). Archaeologists and historians sometimes refer to that as the Roman Age (for Europe, c.56 BCE – 400 CE) (en.wikipedia.org) “We currently live in the Meghalayan age of the Holocene epoch, within the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era.” (Copilot Search) Jesus spoke those words during that same Meghalayan age which began about 4,200 years ago. Is that what Jesus was trying to tell us? He will be with us until the end of the Meghalayan?

I have heard people divide history into all sorts of ‘ages.’ Much of our modern world was initiated during the Industrial Revolution. Of course, part of that era or age overlapped  with the Enlightenment. We sometimes think of ourselves as living in the Electronic Age. Certainly, in my own lifetime electricity and electronics have become so ubiquitous that it is hard to imagine life without either. Irrespective of the common misconception in the U.S.A., the Electronic Age did not begin when Benjamin Franklin decided to risk life and limb by flying a kite in an electrical storm. “Long before modern batteries, ancient civilizations experimented with electricity. The Baghdad Battery, dating back around 2,000 years, consisted of a clay jar containing a copper cylinder and an iron rod, which could produce a small voltage when filled with an acidic solution like vinegar.” (Copilot Search) Was Jesus telling his disciples and us that he will be with us throughout the Electronic Age?

We see, hear and read a lot today about AI. Will future historians and geologists refer to the 21st century as the AI Age? If so, how does that affect Jesus’ promise? Will Jesus still be with us? Or, will AI somehow negate Jesus’ promise?

We do not know with any certainty what language Jesus spoke to his disciples. Obviously, it was not 21st century American English. The oldest manuscripts we have for our New Testament canon are primarily in koine Greek. Jesus’ promise in that Greek is “ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.” It translates literally to “until the completion of the time.”

Which time? The time of Jesus’ own life, which ended on the Cross? Was Jesus merely telling the disciples, “I’ll be with you until I’m not”? The existence of Christendom today suggests to me that is a silly idea.

I believe Jesus was telling his disciples and telling us today that as long as reality exists, as long as Creation persists, Jesus will remain with us. Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday. Tomorrow we acknowledge our Triune God, God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus was there at Genesis 1:1. I believe John’s gospel captures that truth. The truth that Creation itself was brought about by our Triune God. My own understanding of the Incarnation is that Jesus, as the Christ, was God’s words “Let there be” incarnate as Jesus. I love to refer to Jesus as the Incarnate Creative Word of God.

In the movie Sound of Music, the character portrayed by Julie Andrews sings, “When the dog bites, when the bee stings/When I'm feeling sad/I simply remember my favorite things/And then I don't feel so bad,” When I’m overwhelmed by technology, when I’m depressed at the state of our world, when problems seem to surround me and no solutions seem possible, I remember Jesus’ promise. I know that I am not alone. And, then I don’t feel so bad. “John 1:3 What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”

Stay safe, be comforted by Jesus’ presence, trust God,

Pastor Ray