The Wonder of the Creator

Humans have been fascinated with the heavens since the first time they looked up into the night sky.  On July 20, 1969, at 10:56 EDT, that fascination reached a new high when Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed and then walked on the moon.  "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Armstrong said as he set foot where no human had ever been before.  Others followed Aldrin and Armstrong to the moon and to many space shuttle flights in the years to come.  Political and financial challenges have slowed our space travel of late, but not our fascination.  There is still something about the moon and stars, space travel, even commercial airline travel that gives rise to our wonder about the heavens.

 

Yesterday, we were reminded of the dangers of that fascination, as 298 people died in the crash of Malaysian Air flight 17.  There have been many aviation crashes through the years, from small private planes to jumbo jets, even space shuttles.  Technology and human advancement have helped us better understand the causes of these tragic events, and though satellite data and other intelligence are painting a clearer picture of what happened yesterday, one still wonders how something like this could happen...how could human beings so callously bring down a passenger plane by firing a missile.  We are still sorting the details from this tragic event, and given the current political climate and armed conflict in the region, we may not know for some time, if ever, the true story of what happened.  But whether a calculated move or misidentification of a passenger jet for a military target, we have once again been captured by the jarring reality of the dangerous world in which we live.  From the skies to the warring terrains in Gaza, Iraq, and Afghanistan, there is continuing evidence of the destruction of human conflict.  To look up or to look around us, it seems, as one respected national journalist said this morning, "These are very dangerous times in our world."   

 

Given the twenty-four hour news cycles that amplify these dangers and at times, fan the flames of our anxieties and our disagreements, one can be captured by the scenes of destruction and the continuing dialogue from so-called experts about what it all means.  I would not advocate an ostrich, head-in-the-sand, approach that simply ignores this seemingly unending stream of information and misinformation, but to filter what comes through scripture, inspired by the One who set the stars in place, created the varied landscapes of the world about us, and gave us the ability to think and make decisions.  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear..."  We need to hear these opening words from Psalm 46 today, and any day when the threats of the world shake and rattle us.  Faith does not promise exclusion from the uncertainties and dangers of this world, but faith does promise a presence that empowers the courage to face such uncertainty.  "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress," the Psalmist concludes.

 

When the Creator wanted to remind Abram of His faithfulness, then and in the future, He invited Abram to gaze upon the night sky, likening the number of Abram's descendants to the unnumbered stars in the heavens.  Tragedy in the skies over The Ukraine and the continuing conflicts in numerous places around the world make us wonder about what tomorrow holds for our world, and for us.  Perhaps, if you can find a place with little artificial light this evening, it might be a needed exercise in faith to step out into the darkness, look up, and begin to count the stars in the sky.  After a few moments, maybe you, like Abram, can be reminded of the wonder of the Creator whose promises can overcome our fears and whose presence can bring peace to our troubled minds.

 

Jim Abernathy