Musings on the Mystery.

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

I guess we are all a little bit skeptical of anyone who claims to have all the answers. Somebody knows exactly what's wrong with my computer or my Honda or my leaky refrigerator, and of course, they haven't even taken a look for themselves.

And what about the ultimate questions of life and faith? Some bold souls claim to have them all figured out. I'm not so sure. Beware of religious types who trumpet their answers and have never really heard the questions. Life for us is a journey of discovery and yet for every answer we uncover, a deeper mystery remains hidden.

Einstein's problem with the church was that preachers were talking about a god who was far too small and simplistic, a little god who could not be the God who created this magnificent universe in all its wondrous complexity.

"Then Job replied to the Lord: 'I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. . . Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.'" (Job 42:2-3)

Take time to ponder the possibilities. Leave a little space in your life for the realities that you can't see under a microscope and are beyond the reach of the strongest telescope. Make room in your finite world for the infinite. There is a "big G" God still out there, a God who is revealed and hidden, a God who speaks with words and deeds and sometimes with frustrating silence. There is a God who remains a fathomless mystery and yet maybe, just maybe, knows your name.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well, yes, one of the lessons that a truly great prof of theology tried to pound into our heads in seminary was that there is such a thing as a mystery. He told us, too true, that it might take us decades to recognize the truth of that. I've come to believe that being called "stewards of the mysteries" is among the really priviliged titles.
Ken Zindle
John McCallum said…
So true. I think many of us want a god we can control. A mysterious God is a bit unpredictable and out of our control. Who knows where He might show up? Or what He might do? Or what He might call us to do? Most of us prefer the god of our convenience. Thanks for reminding us of the largeness of God. Don't you think a preaher's job is not so much to make God larger, not smaller, for our people.

Popular Posts