I Form Light
Photo by Rohan Makhecha on Unsplash
We Are Creatures Of The Creator
by Eric Elkin
“I am the Lord; there’s no other.
I form light and create darkness,
make prosperity and create doom;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.”
Morgan Freeman interrupted my morning routine. My decision to briefly scope out Facebook before morning prayers led me down a rabbit hole. And Morgan Freeman, the Hollywood superstar, was guiding me. The enticement was a video Freeman narrated about his estranged relationship with his children, ex-wife, and brother. He asked those watching not to be like him.
The clip made me wonder whether it was real or not. Unfortunately, I never discovered the truth. I did, however, learn many things about Morgan Freeman. The funniest was a video titled "I am Not God." The actor plays off his many performances as God to convince people he is not, in fact, the real God.
The most interesting piece of information was Morgan Freeman's view of God. According to his Wikipedia profile, Freeman believes the concept of God was invented by humans. The online resource cites an interview that quoted him as saying, "So if I believe in God, and I do, it's because I think I'm God."
Morgan Freeman is an actor. He is paid to play roles and film ads. Sometimes, viewers can lose sight of the line between fantasy and reality. Freeman was paid to play God in films because his voice, persona, and dress fed our image of God. He was also paid to tell us he is not God. But, ask him his personal beliefs, and you will find out he is God. At least in his own mind.
“The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. Science brings (us) nearer to God.”
This reflection is not designed to be a criticism of Morgan Freeman. He is a wonderful actor and a human with enough of his own problems. I found it interesting how his story captured the modern dynamics of the human relationship with God. Many people have an image of what they want God to be. Some people feel God is a concept of human invention. Still, others consider themselves gods of their own destination and forming.
I referred to our relationship with God as a modern condition, but it is not. We can hear the same dynamics present in the words of Isaiah. In this reading, the Lord claims authority and power beyond human ability. "I am," declares the Lord, the one who created the heavens and formed the earth. "I form light and create darkness."
Human beings are comical. We think we can form light on par with God because we created an electrical current, a light switch, and a bulb. Morgan Freeman considers himself a God, but I bet he couldn't do the electrical wiring in his own house. This text puts us in our place; we are creatures of the Creator. A Creator who continues to form new life is us, even when things seem dark.
Click to read Isaiah 45: 6-8;18-19
Reflection Questions:
How do Morgan Freeman’s film characters feed your desired image of God?
In what ways is God different than the movie images of God?
Is there comfort in knowing you are a creature and not Creator? Why or Why not?
Where do you need light in that darkness today?
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