Luke 21: 29-33
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass
away.”
In the new Cosmos series, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson
speaks of the Big Bang, the creation of the universe, the formation of the
planets, the evolution of man and the eventual destruction of the stars and all
that exists. That is the nature of the universe. It shouldn’t be news to
Christians. Jesus is telling us this also.
We believe in the second coming of Christ. It is prophesied in the
Bible and Christians live a daily existence mindful of his presence and his
words to his followers. He tells us that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We do
not have billions of years of existence to learn how to be the best we can be.
In Cosmos, Dr. Tyson tells us we humans are in existence in only the last
seconds of the last minute of the entire existence of Creation. We are all
God’s creatures, and we must be mindful of our place in the scheme of things.
God is still the Creator of all. We have always known we are small and
insignificant in many ways in accordance with the Grand Plan. Yet Jesus taught
us how to be the best we can possibly be. That is to learn to love one another,
and to use our time on this earth to take care of ourselves and others.
The reasoning is simple in the Grand Scheme of Things. That is the
beauty of His message to us. You must love one another with all your heart and
rather than covet worldly possessions, you should work to help those in need
and to live with the end in mind. That is what Christ was telling us-not that
we are all small and insignificant creatures. We already know that we are but a
cog in the wheel of the universe.
Yet he tells us that we can become great and unique individuals, and
that we are capable of doing great things. That is the message that we hear.
This is a great and a glorious message. It is a positive one. That is what I
take-away: Christianity is a joyous and positive religion with a message of
Redemption and Forgiveness. Sadly, not everyone feels the way I do about
Christianity.
Once I read a quote from a famous actress who was distressed
that Christianity was not a “cheery”religion. That has always baffled me, as we
see Jesus as a man of great strength of character. Cheery is not a good way to
describe Jesus. Yet he was so much more than that.
Jesus was a man of great character, capable of great kindness. But
he was also a leader of men who inspired deep and abiding devotion and love
within his band of disciples and loyal followers. There is a hard road for many
in this life, yet Jesus saw a way to help those around him in need. He also
pointed out the way to Heaven. He told us not to build up treasures on Earth,
but to walk out into the world and explore it. He wanted us to use our gifts
and to share our knowledge and bounty with others. His world vision presented a
full and balanced life. Fun and laughter were also a part of that vision, with
pain and suffering seen as a part of the circle of life. That is the way and
the truth for Christians.
Simple and complex is the vision Christ gives us. That is life as
we see presented in the world of the Cosmos TV series. It is also the world of
science. It is the natural world and it is the real world. That also happens to
be the vision that Christ has for us. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will not pass away.”
Father: We know we are but a small part of the glory of your vision
of Creation. You chose to give us life, to bring us a message of love and peace
given to us by your Son, Jesus Christ. We are grateful in this season of Lent
for the sacrifices and the suffering, the joys and the sorrows, the laughter
and the pain that we know as Life. That is part of our lives, and we can live
each day with strength and grace because of Christ, who died for our sins.
Thank you and help us to be mindful every day of who we are in the Grand Scheme
of Life. Thank you for providing the vision and showing us the way. You are the
daily guide we need to show us how to live and of the great and positive
differences we can make in our lives and the lives of others. In Christ’s
name-Amen.
