God is BIG!
In my mind’s eye I can visualize the psalmist as he gazed into the night sky, marveled at the immensity of space, the wonders of the Milky Way, and proclaimed, “The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1).” The psalm is attributed to David but it also may have been written in honor of the king. Regardless of whether David wrote the psalm, people in ancient Israel were awed by the starry heavens, just as we are today. In our scientific age we may have more understanding of the cosmos, but the mystery and magnificence of the universe continues to stir hearts and trigger feelings of awe.
The Hubble telescope has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos. Launched into low earth orbit in 1990, the space telescope continues to operate by providing detailed images of faraway star systems and galaxies. The images it sends back to Earth of distant galaxies, such as Andromeda and Ursa Major, represent the way those systems appeared millions of years ago as it takes that long for their light to travel back to earth!
The Hubble Telescope
The night sky fascinates me. Our view of the starry heavens is obscured by the lights of the city, but if we drive far enough out into the country and stop to look at the night sky, we will become mesmerized watching the shooting stars and other heavenly wonders. You probably already know that shooting stars are not actually stars at all but are tiny dust particles, reflected by ambient light, moving through the earth’s atmosphere.
Recently astronomers detected a star system that is comprised of two stars orbiting each other 11,000 light years from Earth. The larger of the two stars exploded into a supernova, shedding its hydrogen and releasing material onto the smaller star, which absorbed the material and grew from eight times the mass of our sun to eighteen times the mass of our sun. Consequently, the formerly larger star was reduced and became what scientists call a neutron star, a star of immense density but only has a radius of around eighteen miles.
It was like watching a celestial version of the game Pac-Man among the heavenly bodies, but in this case the smaller star ate the larger star! Eventually, the now larger star will also explode becoming a neutron star, and when the two stars inevitably collide due to the pull of gravity and disintegrate, they will release heavy elements into the universe such as gold. In time some of that gold may even find its way to earth, but don’t expect another California gold rush anytime soon—it would take billions of years for the gold dust to make its way to Earth. If you wear a gold ring or other form of gold jewelry, you might be wonderstruck to learn that most of the gold on our planet came from similar exploding suns in the far reaches of space.
Green Comet in Dark Space. Image furnished by NASA.
In the last few weeks and days you may have seen the so-called Green Comet in the night sky. The last human beings to see this comet lived over 50,000 years ago. The comet orbits our sun at the outer extreme of our solar system and will not pass this way again for another 50,000 years. I sometimes wonder if there will be anyone here to see it.
I’ve spent the greater part of my life reading theology, philosophy, and history, but lately I’ve turned some of my attention to the sciences, especially astronomy. I am taking an online course on Understanding the Universe by the astrophysicist Alexei Filippenko, who teaches at the University of California. Every time I finish one of his lectures, my respect for the mystery and beauty of the universe increases.
Over the last twenty years or so astronomers have learned much about cosmic phenomena, such as quasars, exploding stars, neutron stars, and black holes. We now know, for instance, by observing other galaxies that the universe is expanding at a rapid rate. It appears that after the seventh day of rest, God got back to work! I’m not surprised by that piece of information. After all, how could we possibly think that our Creator would limit himself to just one solar system or Galaxy?
Sometimes in our hubris we restrict God’s creative work to what we can conceive, thinking that the only object of God’s affection is our tiny planet orbiting a medium size star. But God is big, bigger than any thought or concept we could possibly imagine. The Bible hints in a number of places the majesty and grandeur of God. The biblical God cannot be contained or tamed or manipulated—God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. God is wholly other.
As exciting and mesmerizing as learning about the cosmos is, however, I find learning about God infinitely more rewarding. Biblical faith is anything but static as Scripture continually opens our eyes and minds to new ways of understanding ancient truths. After fifty years engaged in Scripture, I am still learning, still a novice.
The renowned theoretical physicist, John Polkinghorne, spent much of his career engaged in science, teaching at Cambridge University. His scientific achievements were numerous, having played a key role in the discovery of the quark, a fundamental part of matter. Interestingly, in the prime of his scientific career, Polkinghorne left Cambridge University and enrolled in seminary. He later graduated with a theological degree and became an ordained Anglican priest. One of his books, The Faith of a Physicist, tells of his journey from a scientist to a theologian. Although he loved physics, he felt that the study of God was more intriguing, more open to discovery, than science. That human beings have the capacity to ask faith questions, contemplate God and learn about God’s workings in the world and universe drew Polkinghorne to a life of theological study. He passed away just a few years ago, while still devoted to his fascinating life with God.
As much as I appreciate science, and as much as I have learned from the great explorers of the cosmos, I still find the study of Scripture the most exciting field of study. I am not surprised that scientists have discovered that the universe continues to expand, and I continue to marvel at the wonders of God’s creation that science reveals to us. God is BIG! And life with God is the greatest of all possible adventures!
