Spiritual Physics
The last true science class I took was chemistry as a high school sophomore. I suspect that the periodic table was smaller then, but that’s about all I can remember. I tell you that because I’ve been reading about physics for much of the afternoon in an effort to find a common thread in this Sunday’s Bible readings and I am way over my head. But I’m among friends, so here goes.
The second law of thermodynamics introduces the concept of entropy, which is the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system. This concept comes from the world of physics and mathematics, but it has application far beyond the physical world. Rudolf Clausius observed in the 1800’s that “without intervention disorder increases over time”, but he could just as well have been talking about any part of our lives now, shared or personal.
What part of your life gets better all by itself over time? And the more complexity we add to our lives, the more potential disorder we introduce. Here’s where Sunday’s readings come in: Exodus 20, John 2, and 1 Corinthians 1 each describe God’s interventions to bring change into systems that have become, or are at the risk of becoming, disordered.
God does this by being personally present and, in some cases, providing new or renewing structures that reverse spiritual entropy. Exodus 20 is the first account in the Bible of the giving of the Ten Commandments. We tend to focus on their content, but notice that these words are spoken directly by God to the Israelites. The words are meaningful by themselves, but they are powerful because God delivers them personally.
By the time you read this, Sunday’s sermon will have been completed and delivered twice (it’s Wednesday night now). If you find your spiritual life moving toward disorder and distance, I encourage you to invite God’s presence into your life in any or all of these ways: Prayer, reading and reflecting on the Bible, communion, sharing life with other Christians, serving others, practicing forgiveness. God shows up in these ways and more, and life is fuller and more energizing for it.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Don Wink