By John Moore, Columnist
Christmas for many is an incredibly special time of year. It is a time in a way of magic and of miracles. It all goes back to a time some two thousand years ago where a baby called Jesus was born to a virgin. This baby’s mission was to teach humankind, among other things, about the ravages of sin, power of forgiveness, and infinite love .He also gave us the universal prayer known as the Lord’s prayer. He showed the world through his death there is life afterwards by rising from death Himself. His message for me is we are eternal beings born as sparks of God. We need to act accordingly.
A physical reminder of this is our sky where according to many the star of Bethlehem pointed shepherds and wisemen to the place where the birth of this Savior long ago was to take place. To this day on a clear dark night all we have to do is look up at that same sky and we get to glimpse into infinity. I find this difficult to comprehend as I gaze up at a star lit night. Astronomers tell us there are hundreds of billions of galaxies. Within these galaxies are billions of stars and more billions of solar systems. This is all mind boggling and yet as I investigate the depths of the universe it is all true. The vast enormity of this and the fact there is order in what may be described as chaos lets me know the act of creation was no accident. When I gaze at the universe, I see God’s signature everywhere.
No matter how hard we try to ignore it we are witnessing science and religion coming together more than ever in our great cosmos. The recently launched James Webb telescope is a shining example of this .The stunning never before seen pictures the telescope is sending us is giving humanity the clearest picture yet into the magnificence and beauty of creation . These pictures are translating infrared images which are undetectable to the human eye into images so the human eye can see them. These images are sending chills down my spine at the sheer enormity of it all.
In certain faiths the faithful are asked to believe in both things that are visible and invisible . Glimpsing into infinity through the lens of our universe proves this has never been truer than it is now. The James Webb telescope is showing us evidence in physical form that has been invisible up until now. Moving forward we must be prepared to accept the fact we are perhaps not alone. In fact, I would daresay the universe could be teeming with life, some of which may have already visited our unsuspecting planet. In many ways we will have to come to grip with the significance of all this as we rewrite our existing notions of things visible and invisible . It could have vast implications for both science and religion and reinforce certain belief systems even more and cast aside others that become irrelevant. The story of Christmas prepares us for the amazing revelations that may lie ahead. In short, according to the unknown author of Desiderata “The universe is unfolding as it should “.
Happy December and Merry Christmas to all !
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
