“Let There Be Light!”

Genesis 1:1-5

Rev. Mac Steinmeyer – Palma Ceia UMC, Tampa, FL

Do you believe in our stories from the Bible? Are they true? And if they are true, in what sense are they relevant to us? Take for example the very first story in our Bible, the Creation story. Not everyone buys this, you know -- some of them, very smart people. And some of them here in this very room!

Stephen Hawking is widely regarded as one of the smartest people living. He is a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, but his expertise ranges broad: mathematics, physics, astronomy, well… the man is a genius! He first gained MY attention through the work of the late Carl Sagan, another well-known, popular scientist. Stephen Hawking is an AMAZING man. His physical existence is confined between two points: his bed and his high-tech wheelchair. He suffers daily from a motor-neuron disease called ALS (Lou Gherig’s Disease). He speaks only with the aid of a sophisticated speech synthesizer. But he describes his condition in this way, “I was fortunate that I chose theoretical physics, because it is all in the mind. So, my disability has not been a serious handicap.”

In the first chapter of one of his books, entitled, “A Brief History of Time”, he recounts a story about a scientist who was giving a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around in a vast collection of stars called our galaxy, the Milky Way. At the end of the lecture, a woman, the proverbial “little old lady”, (now I would never use that description, HE used that description!) This woman stood in the back of the room and said, “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really on a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise.” The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, “What is the tortoise standing on?” “You’re a very clever young man, very clever,” said the lady. “But it’s turtles all the way down!”

Dr. Hawking points out that the story may at first seem ridiculous, but then he asks plainly: “Why do we think we know any better?”

Now, it doesn’t take a person with a PhD. in physics, nor a rocket scientist, or even a Doctorate of Theology to draw a parallel between the turtle story and the way modern science views the creation account found in Genesis. I immediately found myself shifting into what I call my “defensive mode”.

We all know this attitude – getting defensive – is counterproductive. I KNOW that. But you see, it’s part of my roots. For I grew up in the hills of Eastern Tennessee, and attended high school in a town called Dayton. I took biology in the very same room once occupied by a teacher named John T. Scopes. This man was brought to trial, in the heart of the Bible belt, for teaching a scientific theory called Evolution. I grew up EMERSED in the history of the Scientific/Religious debate – the clash between the eloquent William Jennings Bryan and noted defense attorney Clarence Darrow – between Creationism and Evolution.

This all came back to me while reading a book by Will Willimon called And the Laugh Shall be First, a collection of stories and anecdotes – a veritable “Treasury of religious humor”. One story in the book raised my defensive dander again! It was entitled the “Hills of Zion.” The journalist H.L. Mencken wrote this story in 1925 when he was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He was sent to my hometown to cover the Scopes Trial. With biting satire he describes the hick-town religion, the half-empty churches, the bi-vocational grafters called preachers. He asked rhetorically if this was a comic scene, but answers, “Somehow, no. The poor half-wits were too horribly in earnest.” He describes the trial as a circus, and the religion a joke. The more I read, the madder I got! Defensive… that’s my town… that’s my religion… that’s my book… and that’s my God!

In my mind the Bible doesn’t fit neatly into a literary scheme. Is the Bible considered fiction? It is filled with symbolic language that takes us beyond facts. When Jesus taught about the kingdom, he used this language: this kingdom is LIKE… it is AS IF… -- similes and metaphors which point us to a place beyond themselves. Or is it non-fiction, full of nothing but facts, placed on the shelves right by the autobiographies of Lee Iacocca and General Norman Schwarzkopf?

I ventured over into our church library, where I discovered Mrs. Wilson has place the Bible on a shelf all it’s own! I was pleased to see this! To me, the Bible is both, but more. It moves us beyond mere facts or fable to place of truth, which can only be seen and experienced through faith.

Symbolic language – poetry, similes and metaphors and music – symbols of great intensity of feeling, tremendous inventiveness – this language is almost always used when we try to talk about the great mysteries of our existence. The Bible is no different, perhaps it is even exemplary! The symbol of LIGHT, for instance, is one of the most used symbols in our Bible. (It’s used well over 250 times!)

LIGHT begins our story of creation. Some time later, when Moses came down from the mountain with the Ten Commandments, the Children of Israel looked up. They saw LIGHT amidst the clouds. The shepherds and wise men followed LIGHT, the star in the East, to the birthplace of the Christ child. Again, later, John called Jesus the LIGHT… light that shines in the darkness. But Jesus shared the light with others, he taught, “Let your light so shine before men.” As children, you and I sang about the LIGHT: “hide it under a bushel? NO!” We were gonna let it shine! (Remember?) That same LIGHT blinded Saul as he was traveling the road from Jerusalem to Damascus, it changed him into the Apostle Paul. Saint John described his vision of the End Time with symbols of LIGHT… in the Holy City he saw seven stars, seven lamps, and in the very last chapter of our Bible he says nations will walk in this light. Thus, according to our Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, from creation to culmination… we experience God through the symbol of LIGHT.

Or do we? For many of us, it seems, before one may address the subject of LIGHT, we must first come to terms with darkness. It can also be said truthfully, with Frederick Buechner, that the Bible begins not with light, but with darkness… and the last Gospel, John, ends with it. “Darkness covered the face of the deep,” says Genesis. Darkness is where it all started, void and without form. You know about darkness, don’t you? There’s a darkness in the hearts and souls of you who are hurting. There’s a darkness in you because there are those whom YOU have hurt.

And someone, somewhere, is crying for some light.

Jesus knows all about your darkness, you see. Between the sixth and the ninth hour the sun was blotted out – darkness – and the hideous cry was heard: “My God, My God, why have your forsaken me?”

The darkness in Genesis is broken in great majesty and splendor when God speaks the word of creation: Let there be light! It’s awesome! Extraordinary! And in the New Testament, the light came in the person of Jesus, but misunderstanding is abound. The disciples sacrificed greatly to follow him… and now he is dead. Afraid, and disappointed, filled with grief, the disciples go back to fishing on the sea of Tiberius in the darkness of the night – and their luck is bad. As Buechner tells this story, then the darkness is broken by a spark on the beach, sheltered by two hands… then blowing, blowing, the charcoal fire ignites, and using that light, the Light of the World invites them to breakfast.

While some are drawn to magnificent glory and splendor of God’s work in creation, others come simply because they have an empty feeling in their stomach. I suppose we could call it a “Spiritual Hunger”.

Yes, we know about darkness. Darkness comes easy, we hardly have to try.

But out of that darkness, came the most staggering light that the world has ever known, or WILL know! With all of God’s power and all of God’s majesty broke forth the light of life. As told by Dr. Thomas Long:

And God stepped forth, and said, “I’m lonely – I’ll make me a Kingdom.” Then down between the darkness and the light… God hurled you! And God said: That’s good!

Out of the darkness, Jesus burst from that tomb, and spoke to the women, and then the disciples. He touched them, he fed them… he shined – on – them. He gave them LIGHT!

Must there be a conflict between science and religion? No, not if we are honestly seeking the truth. Albert Einstein found no legitimate conflict between science and religion. He once said, “Science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.” Certainly not everyone sees things that way... but there is hope. For in the last paragraph of his book, Stephen Hawking writes:

IF WE DO DISCOVER A COMPLETE THEORY, IT SHOULD BE IN TIME understandable by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question… If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason – for then we would know the mind of God.

I find that answer in the stories of the Bible. Where the mind of God is available to scientists and poets, philosophers and just ordinary people, like me and like you.

The founder of our (United Methodist) denomination, John Wesley, came to the colonies to convert the Indians. He traveled on horseback and preached. We know the Methodist movement grew at a phenomenal rate, but his experience was different. His girl had jilted him, the Indians would not sit still, and the Oxford Don had difficulty communicating to the simple settlers. He hopped on a boat back to England and in his mind he was an utter and complete failure. He wandered thru the back streets of London, in darkness. He came to a street called Aldersgate and heard music – symbolic language. He went in to that service and felt his heard “strangely warmed”. He saw the light. And we, you and I, have never been the same!

Are you? Could it be you? Looking for some light?

Let there be light!

Let there be light!

PRAYER:

Holy God, we gather as your people, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Through Him we experience the LIGHT anew. Your light was breathed into humanity at the very beginning. Yet we find ourselves separated from you and the fullness of your kingdom. Darkness, we understand, and your light we do not comprehend. We are consumed by our sin and fear, and overwhelmed by the darkness of our world. Send the light, oh God… let there be light. AMEN.