Dear People Whom God Loves,
GOD’S INTERACTION WITH THE WORLD – XV
We end this series of columns with hope. Hope that is based on the never-ending faithfulness of Love (that we name God).
The world and the universe as we know them will come to an end. This is the conclusion of science. Our universe has the power of expansion and contraction. These are now balanced so we remain in existence. In the end, either expansion or contraction will win out. If expansion wins out, the universe will resolve into blank holes and decay. Our universe will end with a whimper. If contraction wins out, the galaxies will fly together. What began as a big bang will end with a big crunch. Science offers no final hope.
On a smaller scale, our individual lives end in death. Science can see nothing after that. Science again offers us no hope. This doesn’t mean that science is not good. Science is not able to offer metaphysical information. Science can only deal with our physical world and universe. It is not equipped to inform us of anything beyond our physical world.
Belief in the infinite Love we name God gives an answer, though that answer contains much mystery. Belief in the bodily resurrection is the pointer to what happens. The disciples who knew Jesus in the flesh and experienced him after he was crucified give us the clue. They had trouble recognizing Jesus at first, but then they realized that it was Jesus.
He was alive, but not alive as they formerly knew him. It was a new and different kind of life; but it was still Jesus.
We believe that Jesus was the first fruits. When we die, we, too, will be who we are; but our mode of living will be different. There will be sameness and unsameness at the same time. This also means that there will be time in some fashion, but not “time” as we now know it. It will be time without decay or unfulfilment. Remember, these words are but feeble pointers to what is mysterious. Our belief is based on the Love (God) that will never abandon us.
In a similar fashion, our universe will survive; but it will also be different. God loves not only us, but all of creation. Love will not abandon non-human creation either.
All of this is pointing to the same mystery that we have believed in when we spoke of the mystery by using the word heaven.
Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul wrote that if Jesus is not risen, our faith is in vain.
This ends my reflections on the work of John Polkinghorne, a small-particle physicist and an Anglican priest.
My follow-up next.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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