The Universe Is Out Of Whack
An All Saints Sunday Sermon
by Eric Elkin
“You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ.”
There is a problem in the universe. Something about it doesn't look right. It appears as though the whole thing is out of whack. This assessment is not coming from social commentators, religious leaders, or politicians seeking election. It comes from one of the latest reports from astronomers and physicists studying deep space. They all see the problem but are undecided about what to make of it. Is the problem something to be worried about, or, a doorway to some new understanding of life?
Ironically, the problem is inconceivably large, yet only a few brilliant minds can perceive it. At the same time, it is happening in such a distant location, one can only observe it through the most advanced research tools ever created. It would stand to reason, if the entire universe were out of whack, we would know it, right?
The older generation might respond to this by saying, "We don't need fancy equipment to see the world is out of whack. And, it is getting more out of whack as we speak." Younger generations might look at injustice, poverty, and war and respond," The world is out of whack, but we can un-whack it and make it right." Unfortunately, the universe is more extensive than any of us here can truly realize. We see only the smallest fraction of its imbalance.
To astrophysicists, the issue can be described as one of intrigue more than concern. It deals with the rate that the universe is expanding. What is at stake is the foundational truth of Einstein's theory of gravity. Albert Einstein theorized an expanding universe, Edwin Hubble gave validity to the theory, and the Hubble Telescope was launched, in part, to verify the theory. The problem is, the more we know, the less we agree and understand. Leading scientist to say, "Everything is out of whack."
I cannot do justice to the article I was reading about the subject. My aptitude allows me to understand the surface of things, not enough to fully judge the deeper meaning of them. However, I gleaned two items from the article. One, scientists estimate that 5% of the universe is made up of normal matter — that is atoms and molecules that make up everything from humans to trees, to planets and stars. Roughly 25% is dark matter — non-luminous particles that could take any form (I would call this the formless void cited in Genesis 1). The remaining 70% of the universe is dark energy, which is a complete mystery to us. It is darkness and nothingness, yet, it is full of energy.
This is not a science class, nor am I asking you to do math. I only mention it because if only 5% of the entire universe is normal matter — all living things, planets, and stars — it speaks to how precious and rare every human life is. You, each one of us on this planet, are unique, special, and precious. Literally, more precious than silver, gold, or rare gems.
Second, the scientists who study these things - that is expanding universe — all come to the same fundamental question each one of us asks every day — Where is it going? And when will it all end?
“Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s Prayer is about.”
As we drew nearer the Mississippi River, we found a little green space set aside for visitors to look out over the river. We got off our bikes and sat there looking in silence at the dark water rushing by like traffic on Highway 61. To our left was a home with a beautiful yard. The yard was filled with trees. In the trees, birds danced around and sang.
These birds knew both beauty and joy. They sang a wonderful witness to those who could not hear them. What is the point of work if those who labor do not find joy in it, or are able to find a place to sing and enjoy peace?
Creation and its creatures serve to remind us, human creatures, of our deepest need. The need we often suppress and diminish as unimportant, spiritual health. My spirit discovers joy and peace when birds sing in trees. It’s not just their beauty, it is the song of a Creator I hear singing. It gives my soul rest.
As I reflected on the article, it struck me how fundamental and pervasive these two questions are in our lives. Where is it going? And when will it all end?
We ask this question of politics and of national economies. They were at the forefront of our minds as a nation whenever we fought wars. Now, we ask it about the environment, space, and human existence. What also struck me, these are the fundamental questions I've had as a father and as a human being. The only thing that changes in life, is eventually, where is it all going, gets shifted to — where did it all go?
When we start to grasp how often these two questions come up in our lives, we are forced to see one truth — There is a significant portion of our lives lived in uncertainty and mystery about the future. At the same time, there are very few, if any, people who find comfort living this way. We all want to know — where are we going? And when will it all end?
I think we rarely realize how much these questions linger within us. The moment we become aware of them is when we are confronted with death — our own or the loss of someone dear to us. The question I ask today is — Could the answer to them, the solution which brings us the most comfort, be so simple as a promise?
“We have been sealed with a promise. This promise is that we are from God, and we will return to God. Or put in another way, we are from life, and we will return to life.”
In many ways, a promise is a laughable solution in an age of technology. We can prove things. We have the intelligence, the capability, and the technology to record document, and test theories. There is more technologic power in your cell phone than what sent humans into space and onto the moon. Yet, like astrophysicists study deep space, the more we know, the less we understand.
Strangely, nothing proves this more than instant replay in sports. Sports all have defined rules, we record events as they happen from several different angles. Millions of eyes watch the plays over and over. Yet, when we replay them, more often than not, there is more disagreement than agreement about what we see. Proof, evidence, and documentation are not as assuring as we are led to believe. Maybe, a promise carries more weight and assurance than we care to believe.
In the first chapter of Ephesians, the author layouts out the dimensions of the promise of life. In this promise through Christ, we have received an inheritance. When life as we know it ends, there will be an inheritance we receive. This inheritance, like our very beings, is all part of God's ever-expanding plan. We were destined to be a part of the grand scheme of the universe the moment we were formed in our mother's womb. When we think of the universe expanding, no matter what the rate, it is expanding our concept of life.
The promise of life was washed over our heads in our baptism through the power of the Holy Spirit. This baptism, yours and mine, is less about our saying, "Yes," to enact its powers. But our saying, "Yes" to an invitation to explore the mysteries of life and the universe. When we consider 95% of the universe is energy and particles waiting to be formed, is it really that difficult to believe that you were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit — some unseen energy — in your baptism?
We have been sealed with a promise. This promise is that we are from God, and we will return to God. Or put in another way, we are from life, and we will return to life. So that, no matter how, when, or where it all ends. It ends in life for us. And, we who remain walking in the shadow of those we have loved and have gone, we walk in the life of a promise. So that when we walk, we walk in hope, joy, and love.
On Friday morning, our community was struck by a horrible tragedy. A tragedy that shakes us to the core because it was a random act during the normal flow of life. A child bikes to school as thousands do every day. A driver takes a road driven thousands of times. Then in the blink of an eye, life is overturned into death. The loss of Patric Vitek is a nightmare of the worst kind for his parents and family, for his friends, for the school system and community.
But it is the living death which is the most enduring. The days spent living with the loss are the most painful. They are the wounds that need the most attention. When I think of those coming days, I am reminded why our presence in the community is so important. We are the ones sealed with a promise who are called to be that promise to others so that they may know life and know it abundantly.
When the author of Ephesians writes, "We are called to be an honor to God's glory because we were the first to hope in Christ." This is not about being perfect and honorable in how we live each day. It is about honoring the promise we have been sealed with by the Holy Spirit. We are called to be the promise which leads us forth from life into life so that others may find the path from life into life. So that we may all walk our days in hope, joy, and love.
So this day, we remember the saints who have gone before us. They are not saints because they were perfect. But, saints because they have discovered the depth of the promise of life. And they speak to us so that we may find it as well.
We remember this day, those who have been taken from us before we were ready to let them go. Or, before they were able to experience the fullness of life. And, in our grief for those who have died, we pray, Come Lord Jesus, give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation of God's presence in our broken, out of whack lives, so that we understand what it means to be sealed with a promise — that we are from life and we die into life in you.
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