Wonders and Resurrection ...

Monday, March 21, 2016. There are many things in our world which are marvelous. When you work with science, you see this every day. Complex systems are everywhere - let it be our brain, or the planetary atmosphere or social interaction with millions of individuals. We try to understand things by simple equations and principles, which govern the dynamic processes. But the more you explain, the more you are surprised and amazed by the things: how they work and that they work.

The Wonder of this World …

The world as a whole is a mere wonder. I wonder about the complexity of our human body every day. Long before we discovered electricity, the brain has been using it for very efficient information exchange. We are far from a full understanding of how it works. We understand a little bit here, some neurotransmitter there, some pulse propagation, some chemistry and biology. But there is much more we do not yet understand!

The same is true when it comes to astronomy, to the universe as a whole, with its structure, its dynamics, its mere size and all the millions of galaxies and stars which you find in it. It is so unbelievably huge! What other word should you choose than “wonder” to describe what you see and find?

When we come to human culture, the quest of understanding continues. Humans are fantastic creatures. We plan, we think, we discuss. We are not predictable - at least not completely. We make decisions, and even if we do something the same way every day, we could decide to do it differently tomorrow - and now and then we do!

Biblical Wonder until Today …

When you come to the biblical texts and message, the quest to understand continues. And you find further wonders, which happen in the middle of our world. Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus when it comes to Easter. The creation continues, God is creating a new creation, starting in the middle of the old one. Listen to the text from Luke 24:

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. (Luke 24, 36 )

You get used to the wonders of this world. Yet, they are wonderful. With Christ, we also get used to his resurrection, to his holy spirit being there in our life. Yet it is full of wonder. God is there with his power, the creator, still creating, opening new spaces and new perspectives for us - in this life and beyond! (RWEP) ... more texts