Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.” …
We took our grandson, Cam, for a walk at bedtime last night. The clouds of October were taking leave in some other part of the country, the Whidbey sky was illuminated by the ancient light of stars and planets. From a distance it is all peaceful, silent; the movement of celestial bodies is orderly and predictable. The blue planet is a mere speck in a cosmic equation, and the humans who gaze at the heavens with wide eyed wonder, are little more than dust standing with wobbly legs on the terra firma of planet earth.
From a distance all of creation is in sync and breathtaking in its beauty. The famous images of earth taken by our lunar astronauts are awe inspiring. But the closer you get, the messier it gets. Stained glass windows, inspiring mosaics, and impressionist art can only be appreciated from a distance. When the artwork is viewed up close, perspective is lost, perception is skewed, they appear to be little more than random color, a messy jumble of shades and shapes.
Creation is amazing, beautiful, mysterious and messy. The closer you get, the messier it gets. If you are standing too close it will be almost impossible to see the hand of God or the beauty of the whole. The closer you get, the messier it gets. Fires burn, star systems are sucked into black holes, lions stalk the water buffalos, crocodiles prey upon unsuspecting wildebeests, cancer cells grow in our bodies, neighbors turn on neighbors, evil rears its ugly head, and all order seems to be lost.
But from a distance, the blue planet looks blue as it continues to spin on its axis through time and space.
God has been working since the beginning to bring order out of chaos. Creation is never complete, God is the master artist who takes the broken tiles, the fragmented glass, and the splintered flecks of paint and brings forth a new creation.
Our lives are broken, fragmented, splintered and seemingly chaotic. Up close we cannot see what we are doing, how God is working, or how we will make it through this day, much less this pandemic. Up close we can lose perspective and lose hope. Up close we can be blinded, unable to see how God is working, unable to see a way out, unable to see the beauty.
The clouds of October were taking leave, the night sky declared the glory of God, and for a moment I could see. That will have to be enough for now.
One day closer!
Pastor Jim
