Introduction
How do we respond to this mysterious voice which may be the very sound of silence, in which the Spirit of God works?
Context
This week's Present the Old Testament invites an exploration of the wonder of creation through listening to the opening verses of Genesis read by space explorers in 1968. For a recent story of the mystery of creation see descriptions of the upgrading of the Large Hadron Collider.
The mystery of creation is vastly greater than we know, and has not been diminished by science.
- The work of the Collider is described as the search for the ‘God Particle’.
- Why does visible matter make up only 5% of what exists?
- Why can’t we get a theory to account for the rest?
- What is the invisible force which allows matter to exist?
- Why do some particles have mass whilst others don’t?
There is something of the mystery described by medieval mystics in this. The Cloud of Unknowing says, ‘Every rational creature has both the power of knowing and the power of loving. Our Creator endows us with both, but God will forever remain incomprehensible to the knowing power. Through loving power, however, each of us may know God.’
Julian of Norwich’s description of creation, like a hazelnut in the hand of God only existing because God loves it, conveys the same quality.
At the Baptism of Jesus he is described by the Father as ‘the Beloved’ (Mark 1.11). The announcement is that love is central to God’s purposes. The verse immediately after this spells out some of the implications for ‘the Beloved’. We are told that ‘the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.’ It is the very opposite of a cosy, comfortable feeling. It will mean, in Jesus’ temptations, being exposed to a confrontation with evil.
There can be no more touching story of the power of love to risk everything than the account of Pauline Cafferkey’s mission to nurse Ebola patients in Africa. Read extracts from her online diary. Here is a heroic example of the love shown by all who have volunteered to assist in treating victims and containing the disease.
Looking back at the life of Julian of Norwich, her story was told after she came very close to death. After the temptations of Jesus, Luke reminds us (4.12) that the devil only left ‘until an opportune time’. The Beloved would see the ultimate test of his love on the cross.
The Guardian has a seasonal reminder of the failure of love, saying that the first Monday of the year is ‘divorce day’. It arrives hard on the heels of our celebration of God’s love on Christmas Day. Love has to cope with the difficult times, and we might do well to make one of our new year resolutions a vow to remain true to our loved ones.
A story of the power of love is found in Owen Jones’ reflection on The Theory of Everything, the film of Stephen Hawking’s life. The article reminds us that we can all be generous contributors to the success of others. It also brings us back to the deepening mystery of creation.
Reflection
Here we see a love which ‘demands my soul, my life, my all’, as Isaac Watts puts it in his hymn, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’. God has put all of his love into his creation, and now the one through whom all things were created (John 1) is called at his baptism to his work of love in his earthly ministry. Watts’ hymn also has a link with Genesis: ‘Were the whole realm of nature mine…’.
Tens of thousands of scientists are probing the mysteries of creation at CERN, and are finding the very existence of matter and gravity to be unfathomable. They appear more elusive than when the Apollo spacemen read from Genesis in 1964. The quest is extremely demanding of resources and energy, far beyond the capability of a single nation to achieve. A worldwide cooperation is required to make any progress. It is a rare example of nations working peacefully together without rivalry in order to discover truths that will be shared rather than hidden.
As in the story of Jesus’ baptism, a single life can encapsulate single-minded loving self-giving of absolutely everything, which is the commitment made by all who seek to bring healing in dangerous situations, whether confronted by plagues or the man-made scourges of warfare and terror campaigns.The converse, that the temptation for love to fail strikes us when we feel weakest, is present in the statistic that marriage is most vulnerable in these darkest days of the New Year. Fortunately John Wesley hit on an appropriate defence. The Methodist Covenant Service for the beginning of each New Year speaks appropriately of a re-commitment to love. Many churches use the prayer, ‘I am no longer my own but yours…’ at this time of year. We might include a rededication to loving those close to us.
Prayer
As we reflect on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and the enormity of all that will face him, a prayer attributed to Sir Francis Drake is appropriate. Say this prayer together, and repeat it after each bidding. Some suggestions for biddings are given.
O Lord God,
when Thou givest to thy servants to endeavour any great matter,
grant us also to know that it is not the beginning,
but the continuing of the same unto the end,
until it be thoroughly finished, which yieldeth the true glory.
Lord, we pray for all who risk their own lives in the struggle against disease…
Lord, we pray for all who bring aid to peoples afflicted by warfare…
Lord, we pray for nations which have pledged to give aid…
Lord, we pray for ourselves, that we may not grow weary in giving…
Lord, we pray for all who commit themselves to the search for truth in science and research…
Lord, we pray for all who have promised themselves to each other in love…
Amen
Questions
New Year is a time for beginnings. We have heard of the beginning of creation and the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry.
- What do we need to begin?
- What does love call us to do?
- If we start something new, what will help us persevere?
Action
Reflecting on Sir Francis Drake’s prayer, do we find ourselves giving in to ‘charity fatigue’? What can we do to combat it?
Young people
Listen together to the YouTube recording of the message from the crew of Apollo 8 as they orbited the moon. Share your reflections on hearing this message that was broadcast almost half a century ago.
Tom Ambrose lives in Cambridge.
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