(4) A Pattern ?

As Jesus put: "I have given you glory on earth by finishing the work
you gave me to do."
[Gospel of John 17.4]

Comment: Captured above, in that single sentence, are the words
that has grabbed ahold of imaginations for some two thousand years.
The life of this man embodies the great Hope of humanity. But this
Hope requires faith.

Considering our modern knowledge-base, it's easy for many to cast
aside this need for faith--especially a faith that professes that the
Son of God came to our planet and through incarnation became a
human being. Though not very profound, oft the answer to this
phenomenon is that "God can do anything."

Well, maybe so! We have a God that set off the Big Bang, has
rolled along with Creation for some 13.7 billion years, until Now.
And what little we do know about Cosmology, it really has been
an incredibly impressive roll.

But, for me, I am more inclined to wonder about God in terms of
Mind and Consciousness. Creation, itself, is *en total* a Complex
System composed of a myriad of complex systems *infinitum.*
Of course some look at Creation and see nothing but Random
processes; but others, like myself, consider an Intelligence that
stands behind the Cosmic Process.

Early Greek philosophers, later Christian Fathers, believed that
there was a Plenum--a Godhead--that stood behind and
throughout the unfolding of the universe. And they called this
Cosmic Plenum the "Logos." The Logos--the principle of
Divine Reason and Creative Order--became the "Son of God,"
there from the beginning of Creation.

The Trinity is a formulation of the human mind--and more than
often it is confusing for many of us. What it seems to be are
our human considerations of the different aspects of God, as we
are able to comprehend. Perhaps more simply put, God as the
Creator is the "Father," God as the Cosmic Plenum is the "Son,"
and God working through all of Creation is the "Spirit."

Perhaps a deep Intuition? Since the dawn of human conscious-
ness, there has been a deep-felt need for a Savior. Why ever this
need to be saved? Because we are vulnerable. When we first
opened our eyes and were able to see the world in which we
lived, it very likely scared us silly. Survival meant constant
vulnerability that somehow we had to face. And we needed Help,
and still do unto this very day.

So did an aspect of the Godhead, the Logos, hear our prayers,
heed to our needs? Well we presume that we know the Mind of
God, or we deeply hope that somehow God is also Mercy. We
show so little of mercy among one another, but we need it
nearly constantly.

Again, only faith alone, but we pray that God will come and
help us. And some two thousand years ago, a man came
into our midst--and his followers declared him the "Incarnation
of the Logos," the Son of God.

Impossible? Possible? There's the choice to be made.

If possible, well what does the man Jesus mean for us?
His words are wise, though they have been said before.
Maybe his life is a blueprint for successful living? It's
inclusive, expressing a loving openness to one and all.
And if one investigated closely, there seems a pattern
to this man's life.

Beyond this, I'm willing to believe that if we investigated
even deeper that we might discover this "pattern" spread
throughout over Time, expressed by other special souls
as well. In the end, maybe this Pattern is God's way of
communicating, communing with us, drawing us forth
towards a certain Completeness.

Lots of Mystery in these thoughts, in these circumstances
that we take upon Faith.

(3) Genesis Revisited

Let us take a small look at Genesis--and see how it compares
with the Big Bang and modern astrophysical cosmology.

"In the beginning of Creation, when God made heaven and
earth, the earth was without form and void, with darkness over
the face of the abyss, and a mighty wind that swept over the
surface of the waters, God said, 'Let there be light,' and there
was light..." [Genesis 1: 1-4]

Out of Mystery came a glowing ball of energy, compact and
heavy beyond comprehension. This ball held within itself all
the enfolded information that would forever fuel the unfolding
Cosmos. This little ball, virtually a particle spatially small
enough to be held in one's hand, contained the enfolded
information of all the world that would bloom forth into cosmic
reality.

"...and God saw that the light was good, and he separated
light from darkness..." [Genesis 1: 4-5]

This primordial ball exploded, unfolded simultaneously
everywhere. Every particle rushed away from every other
particle. The explosion filled all space.

Eventually the frenzied particles calmed dissolving into a
great scattering, and the Cosmos began to transfigure itself.
It fashioned the galaxies. These gigantic, self- organizing
systems pinwheeled and clustered across the outer mantle
of the Universe.

Feeding on helium and hydrogen, brillant stars and planets
were born. The early planets bubbled forth as moltening
gaseous soups that cooled into planetary crusts. Chemical
creativity began to churn away. And on one of the planets,
the Earth, the first living cell arose.

"God said, 'Let the waters teem with countless living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of heaven.'"
[Genesis 1: 20]

Gathering hydrogen from the oceans, releasing oxygen, these
primal cells built the land and the atmosphere of the Earth. In
time multicellular organisms arose. They began as corals,
became worms and insects and fish. They wiggled and flashed
about in the sea and on the land. They multiplied into many
life forms. Experimenting, they discarded some forms and built
upon others. And about two hundred million years ago mammals
entered into the life of the Earth.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image and likeness...'"
[Genesis 1: 26]

From these mammals came the first glimmers of consciousness,
a sense of emotional sensitivity and self-awareness. In due
time the human brain unfolded.

"So it was; and God saw all that he had made, and it was very good..."
[Genesis 1: 31]