The Mystery of Existence: Awe and Trust (Part 2 of 2)
From A Way of Life: Understanding Our Christian Faith
[Excerpted from “The Mystery of Existence: Awe and Trust,” A Way of Life: Understanding Our Christian Faith, Anthony J. Chvala-Smith, Herald House, 2019, pp. 25-27]
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. -Psalm 19:1-2
Ever since the creation of the world [God’s] eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. -Romans 1:20
The writers of scripture believed they could see in the beauty of the night sky and in the twists and turns of human experience the handiwork of an Artist. According to Psalm 19 and Romans 1, the heavens and indeed all things cannot help but tell of the One from whom they come. The mystery that surrounds us is like a few notes of a great symphony, which we tend to tune out. But mystery has a way of pressing in on us. Sooner or later, amid the struggles and joys of life, we will hear the notes again and for a moment wonder what it all means.
As Christians we believe all things point beyond themselves toward the reality of God. God has created the kind of cosmos that prompts us to wonder. Wonder opens us to seek for a meaning to the vast expanding universe around us and to the complex inner universe of our lives. That quest, begun in awe and trust, is the beginning of what Christians call faith. Neither the mysteries of nature nor the riddles of our experience prove the existence of God. Nor is a knowledge of and reverence for these mysteries the same as being a Christian. “Proof” is not the same thing as faith; reverence before a nameless mystery is not the same thing as trust in God. Rather, the very presence of mystery is God’s way of rousing us to ask and seek. In the journey of asking and seeking, we open ourselves to God, who was already seeking us.
Community of Christ theology strives to value mystery and to be open to the questions human experience prompts. We honor the mysteries of the universe because we hold that they point to their infinite source. To honor the gift is to begin to honor the Giver, and the Giver is the One who is beyond all we can know or comprehend, the One scripture calls the Living God.
Prayer Phrase
God bless the spaces between us.
Spiritual Practice
Tears of Compassion
Offer a silent prayer for the gift of God’s compassion. Cup your hands and ask God to make you aware of the suffering that causes the Earth and its inhabitants to groan and weep. Be open to faces or places, sounds or voices, feelings of connection with those who suffer. Imagine catching the tears of those you see and holding them in your hands. Listen for prayer images or words God may give you. Discern any active responses of ministry or healing you sense invited to complete for those who weep.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
