”GENESIS 15:5-7 REFLECTION - ”Count the stars...if you think you can” Kids Ministry Coffee Break 76: We are all invited into the unknown God has for us. Have we taken the time to look up lately?

2022-09-29

9/29 76 - Genesis 15:5-7 REFLECTION “Count the stars…if you think you can” I took a class in my undergraduate program called “World Religions.” The opening scene of the main book we read from was the story of anyone who has ever lifted their eyes to the night sky for the first time. Taking in the vastness of infinite space dotted with billions of enormous burning stars is overwhelming for us all. Inevitably, the Religions book said, we cannot take in the beauty of the night sky without pondering our place and purpose in all of Creation and life. Every person’s religious yearning begins with the question of “why?” and “who?” or some variation of these things.  It’s no surprise to me that the great redemption story in our Bible begins with God having Abram look up into the night sky. Genesis 15:5 says, “Then [God] brought Abram outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars if you think you can count them.” Such an odd little dare to be a part of the conversation about the future of Abram’s family as well as the future of the world itself. “Count the stars…if you think you can count them.”  Any one of us would immediately recognize the fallacy of thinking we might even try. But the descendants of Abram are going to match the infiniteness, God says. “Your future will be beyond count…unless, of course, you think you could actually count that high.” Abram probably felt like most of us would in the moment when we stare into the darkness of deep space–very small and filled with both humility and awe.  I wonder if we have done a disservice to ourselves by sleeping under roofs and lining our streets with lights. When was the last time you looked up into the sky? If you have recently, then you know that the pull to be humbled and awed never goes away. We cannot help but to let our eyes and hearts be completely captivated by the same night sky Abram peered upon so long ago. As he pondered his future, the light from those same stars produced in that moment has barely traveled 1% of the way to our own eyes (that will blow your mind if you ponder that too long.)  I wonder if the lack of star-gazing has hindered our chance to continue in our growth of faith. If we aren’t caught up in the overwhelming beauty and size of it all, might we miss the chance to be humbled and swept up in awe? If we don’t have the infinite space against which we can compare ourselves, might we be tempted to imagine ourselves to be much bigger than we really are? Perhaps sleeping in our own separate four walls has limited us by obstructing our understanding of one another every bit as much as having those roofs has obstructed our view and lesson of the heavens.  We are standing here together looking into the great unknown of tomorrow…and next year…and next decade…and next century. We have come a long way. https://sundayschool.store/ “Why are we here?” and “Who is God calling US to be TODAY?” are questions still worth pondering. Left on our own, the World Religions book said, we tend to develop our own answers forming our own versions of religion. But… together,… discerning,... sharing,... connecting,... listening,... and making a real effort to understand one another’s perspective on the deep and foundational questions about our purpose and identity here and now… we just might, once again