In school a friend of mine and I decided to
start a student newsletter. It would be the voice of the common man ringing out
against the injustices of the world. Either that or it would be a collection of
whatever nonsense we decided to write at the moment. Anyway, Robert and I
plunged into the project with passion and energy. Robert was especially fun to
work with. He was driven and focused. Working with him was like riding a fast
moving wave into shore. You just jump on your board and let it move you along.
He also knew more about publishing than I did. Robert and I produced a great
newsletter for about a year. And then it stopped. Robert needed to focus his
attention on other matters and I lost my partner. It was weird; it was like
being dumped by a girlfriend. All of a sudden this person who was leading a
project with energy and vitality was gone. And I wasn't able to keep the
newsletter going without my partner.
In the beginning God created the Heavens and
the Earth. And they were all in relationship to each other. The creation story
in the first chapter of Genesis describes the creation as being relational. When
God created the earth, in order for the land to appear the waters had to
separate (Genesis 1:6-8). In order for vegetation to be created, the land had
to be created (Genesis 1:9-11). In order for there to be a way to follow time,
the Sun and the Moon were created (Genesis 1:14-19). The various elements of
the creation are connected in a cosmic partnership.
The same could be said of relationships
between people. “The Lord God said, it is not good for the man to be alone. I
will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). Adam and Eve are partners in
the Garden. They need each other and they support one another. When they are
cast out of the Garden, to face a life of toil and strife, they stayed
together. When God created people, God created relationships.
We also see the importance of relationships in
the ties that bind galaxies together. Today’s astrophysicists have shown that
galaxies clump together. The massive gravity well created by the Milky Way
Galaxy draws our nearest neighbor, Andromeda, closer and closer until one day
the two will merge. Out in the deeps of space, large groups of galaxies, such
as the Leo Cluster are joined together in a cosmic dance by their mutual
attraction. Computer models of the cosmos suggest that the galactic clusters tug
against each other, causing the entire cosmos to be connected through
gravimetric interaction. Not just the Bible, but modern science shows that everything
in the universe is in some sort of relationship with everything else.
These concepts help us to understand why the
relationships we develop throughout our lives are so important. The Book of
Ecclesiastes says; “Two are better than one, because they have a good return
for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But
pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (Eccl 4:9-10). We need to
have partners to help us with our missions. We need to be in a close
relationship with someone else in order to share our deepest thoughts and
beliefs. We need a partner to help us complete the tasks that are important to
us. It is much better to go through life with friends than to be isolated and
alone.
And thus these relationships extend up from
the creation, through the relationships between living beings, up to the throne
of heaven itself.
God bless you,
Pastor Bill
