Cosmic Power Revealed
Tomorrow morning, as we launch into present opening under our trees, a 7-ton, once-in-a-generation scientific instrument named the James Webb Space Telescope launches into space. This is a strong enough telescope to capture light from the first galaxies ever to form.
Imagine seeing the light from the first galaxy to form. Along with NASA scientists, we await a fresh view of creation. We await yet another way to understand our origin story. We have several creation stories in the Bible, and the new telescope may give us yet another. The Gospel of John offers another perspective, setting the scene for the arrival of the Cosmic Word who launches all of creation into a galaxy shining brightly with love and wisdom, beauty and truth.
In the Beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. Through him all things were made, in him was life.
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The Word. The Word is the cosmic power working throughout creation, the light that births every galaxy into existence and holds it all together.
The Word is the cosmic voice that spoke humanity into creation and connected with us, spoke truth to us…
Invited us to share in the power of creation,
to love and to live in Beauty and Wisdom.
We heard that invitation, and it excited us. Imagine- the power to create! Because the Word created us to have freedom, in our freedom we grew arrogant. We wanted more power. We wanted to live by our own brilliance rather than the brilliance of the creator of the galaxies. We tried to walk away from the Cosmic Word. How limited of us to think we could! There is no place in this or any other galaxy where we can leave behind the love that created us and all life, that love that holds us all together.
The love that created us sent messengers to invite us back. Sometimes we listened. Sometimes we ignored the messengers. And sometimes we went through the motions- pretending that with a little charity here and a few hours of devotion there we could appease the messengers. The Word saw all of this, and knowing that we would continue to live in confusion and chaos without a closer encounter, the Word was born in human form. The Word brought that power - burning bright like the whole starry night sky - and pushed out our arrogance and violence until all that was left was a way of life lit by the brilliance of God’s love.
In human form, the Word could teach us more directly: how to live wisely— with compassion for one another;
how to heal what is hurt and broken,
how to perform miracles.
The Word taught us that we have the cosmic, miraculous power to live without any violence within us, without any violence between us.
What happens when we claim this cosmic power? We cast off arrogance and violence for good, using our freedom and power to love, to live in truth and in beauty in creation. We experience peace and joy.
As we eagerly anticipate telescope images from the beginning of galaxy time, we gather to celebrate the Word that created all light and life. The Cosmic Word that has always existed and powerfully loves us. We celebrate the discovery that the Cosmic Word has come to live among us to fully launch our power to love and to live.
