Author: lakewooducc

Science and religion. In today’s world, it is almost as if we are being forced to pick. Will you ground your reality in science? Or will you ground your life in religion? To pick religion is seen by many as rejecting the authority of science, the facts and figures and observed experience that result from empirical investigation, in favor of a world view based on superstition and magical thinking that cannot be scientifically substantiated. This construct, science or religion, is characteristic of the contemporary world. It was not a consideration for the ancients, for those who wrote the Bible. So I do not claim to say that the writers of the psalms intentionally resolved this issue. But, they do shed light on it.

In Psalm 19, the writer extols the order and purpose of the sun and the heavenly bodies. So nature is God’s self-disclosure. It shows us God. Thus, in principle, there should be no conflict between nature (science) and God.

In verse 9 we are told,

the instruction of the Lord is lucid,
making the eyes light up.
[The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation]

This implies that God is responsible for human intellectual achievement. God’s intent is for humans to use their conscious intellectual abilities to investigate the world so that our eyes light up with awe and wonder and delight. God’s teachings are lucid, that is rational, reasonable, clear, consistent, subject to scrutiny, examination, and analysis. God’s order is evident in the natural world and science reveals that order and the incredible intricacies of life.

We have been endowed with extensive intellectual abilities so that we apply them to gaining more knowledge of the natural world, behavior, and all fields of knowledge. As human knowledge has progressed and expanded, older understandings have been superseded. When we think about religious ideas that come from ancient times, we must take into account the level of intellectual development of the people of the time. Then we can understand the wisdom and insights that are being shared with us through the ages. We then interface that wisdom with our reality. We don’t superimpose ancient reality on today’s world. To discount, overlook, ignore, or worse, to contradict, the findings of science through the ages is to undermine the intellectual ability we have been divinely given to use to expand our knowledge and understanding. It is to squander God’s gift that makes the eyes light up.

Ultimately there is no incompatibility between religion and science unless the religion is false because the pursuit of science is part of God’s intention for humanity. We were given our brains with the expectation that we use them.

Prayer
The natural world and all of creation is a magnificent school of science and spirit. May we celebrate the extensive achievements of the human intellect. May we always seek to learn and grow in mind, body, and spirit. We also recognize that our human knowledge is limited and incomplete. Our reality always includes mystery. May love be our guide as we make our way into the days ahead and the discoveries that await us. Amen.

The light of the sun touches all of the Earth’s surface at some point. At the North and South Poles it may be only for a short time, but the sun gets there. Psalm 19 celebrates the all encompassing exposure of the light:

[The sun] rises at one end of the sky and travels to the other end, and nothing escapes its warmth.

[v.6 The Inclusive Language Bible: The First Egalitarian Translation]

Just as all of the Earth is touched by the sun’s light, so the domain of God is all-encompassing. There is no place that is not part of God’s dominion, God’s realm, God’s influence and purview. There is nothing that can be outside of God or beyond God.

This concept of the all-pervasive presence of God applies not just to the external world, but also to our individual lives and our life together as a community and a society. God is part of all of it. Present in everything. When we celebrate the guidance of God for our lives, that means all of our lives, not just certain parts. Living by the values of compassion, care of others, care for the earth, respect for life, justice, fairness, generosity, these things apply in every aspect of our lives, not just some areas of our lives. The values and ethics that we learn from our faith apply for us in the workplace, in school, and in our community involvement. They apply to our friendships, family relationships, and our sexual behavior. They apply to how we raise our children. They apply to our play, our reading, and our entertainment choices. They apply to our church involvement, our citizenship commitments, and our politics. They apply to how we use our time and energy, and to what we eat and drink. They apply to how we treat our bodies and our healthcare decisions. And, yes, you knew it was coming, they apply to how we spend our money and allocate our finances. Divine decrees as we learn of them through Jesus apply to every aspect of our lives, individually and as social creatures.

As the sun bathes all of the earth in light, so God’s commandments encompass all aspects of our lives. The more we give over to God, the more we let God have dominion over our entire lives, the more free we are. Take some time to think about your life in all its dimensions. Look for where you see consistency with the will and way of God. Are there areas that you still need to turn over to God?

Prayer
Divine love permeates all of creation. The entire universe is testimony to the all-encompassing care and creativity of God. There is nowhere that God is not present. We give thanks that God seeks to be part of all aspects of our lives. May we partner with God in all that we do thus finding joy and delight for ourselves while blessing the Earth with love. Amen.

Yesterday we spoke of the power, impact, and importance of words. This week we begin reflections on Psalm 19, and again there is reference to words, communication and speech. The psalm begins, “The heavens are telling the glory of God.” There are other speech related references:

the firmament proclaims
day to day pours forth speech
night to night declares knowledge

The words “speech”, “voice”, “words”, and “whispering” are used in the Psalm. Creation speaks of God by fulfilling its intended purpose. The processes of nature declare God. Just by being, the natural world makes its testimony.

Here we want to note that in the Gospel of John, Jesus is referred to as the word of God. Jesus is God’s declaration, God’s proclamation, God’s communication. Jesus, by being, by being himself, conveys God. All that Jesus is and does declares God.

As part of creation and the human family, we, too, are God’s words. Each one of us as a person, is a word of God. We have the capacity to declare, to proclaim, to voice, to whisper God. In who we are, by being, in what we do, in our actual words, we speak God when we live love: Love for ourselves, love for others, love for the unlovely, love for creation. When we live love, we speak God. We communicate God to one another. Everything said and done in love is God speaking.

In the United Church of Christ, we have adopted the motto, “Never place a period where God has placed a comma – God is still speaking.” Yes, God is still speaking. And we are the words.

Prayer
Nature speaks of beauty, order, complexity, diversity, and interdependence. We know that our world also needs to hear compassion, mercy, peace, justice, and love. That message needs to be spoken by the human species. May God’s word be spoken in the world not only through the nature, but also through us. Amen.

It has been said that Christians should preach the gospel and use words if they have to. It’s another way of saying actions speak louder than words. But we are in a society that uses lots of words. Words in newspapers, books, articles, advertisements, tv shows, movies, videos, music, debates, laws, conversations, contracts, courts, legislatures, on the radio, in direct mail, and on and on. We are part of a culture of words and communication – via talking, texting, and typing. All these words are shaping our thoughts, our values, and our experience of ourselves and the wider world.

In Psalm 22, the writer declares of God:

I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation
. . . future generations will be told about God.

We hear the writer make a commitment to talking about God, to telling others about God, to speaking about God. The writer is committing to spreading the word about God’s faithfulness, love and goodness.

In today’s context, we celebrate God in church. We talk, sing, and pray in ways that affirm the love and goodness and faithfulness of God. And it is good that we do. That is what church is about. But I am wondering how much talking we do about God outside of church? For one thing, to talk about God freely in non-church contexts can feel uncomfortable because we may be concerned about alienating or offending others, especially those of other religions. Also, we may feel that to speak freely of God and faith may make us appear to be, well, superstitious, or even worse, extremists who want to impose their religion on others. Where might we get these associations? So much in the media about Christianity and faith represents a small segment of the spectrum of Christian beliefs and practice, yet it has taken over as the default definition of Christianity. Christianity is not primarily about prayer in schools, or abortion, or birth control. If we look at what Jesus has to say, Christianity is about a God of unconditional love, economic justice, acceptance of the nobodies in society, and food and healthcare for all. Christianity is also about anti violence. Think of some of the basics: feeding the poor, helping the homeless, assisting those in prison, loving the enemy, and giving everyone access to power. But people will never see this side of Christianity unless more people start to make their voices heard. And here we are back to Psalm 22. For people to see other facets of faith, of Christianity, of God, we have to tell. We have to open our mouths. We have to use words. Deeds are well and good, but words are needed also. Think about how you can start spreading the love of God using words, too.

Prayer
We are grateful for our faith that teaches us to trust in the power of divine love. We are grateful for those who have taught us about the way of Jesus and how to find life in service to others. May we not be afraid to use words to share our faith so that all people may know of the love and compassion of God. Amen.