“It is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.”- Kallistos Ware (1934-2022), Eastern Orthodox Church theologian
“I’m less and less concerned with what’s happening. I’m more and more concerned with what’s really happening when what’s happening is happening.”- Mark Batterson
Mark Batterson moves on in his Prologue to A Million Little Miracles as he notes the role of sunlight in a million other little miracles. For example, without light no color, sight, or Prince purple exists. In other words, without light there is no nothing!
Most significantly, Mark relates, the origin of every atom in the universe traces back to God’s first spoken words: Let there be light. Hence, Mark stresses, everything you are was once said. Thus, in those four words, God expressed what He created with the universe. So, light, God’s first gift, represents the gift that keeps on giving.
In addition, Mark calls our attention to the plural pronouns us and our in Genesis 1:26. Pastor Batterson explains that the early church Fathers used the word perichoresis to refer to this plurality. A divine dance involving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in the Trinity — one God, three persons. Or, as Mark states in mathematical terms: 1 + 1+ 1 = 1.
Consequently, Pastor Batterson explains why that fails to add up for us:
” . . . because we make the mistake of thinking about God in four-dimensional terms. News flash: God doesn’t exist within the four dimensions of space-time He created. There is no past, present, or future for Him. Time stamps don’t limit the Eternal Now. There is no here, there, or anywhere. Why? Because God is here, there, and everywhere — the Eternal Here.”
Finally, in the next blog Pastor Batterson talks about the subject of a flannelgraph god. A god we make in our image. And a god on whom we project our history, personality, and our politics. Using purely human terms.
Today’s question: How do you view the task of Christianity? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A flannelgraph god we micromanage”