Daily Reflections

Hebrews 6:10-20
Psalm 111:1-2, 4-5, 9 and 10c
Mark 2:23-28

GOD IS ALIVE
When I was growing up in Pennsylvania, in the 40’s and 50’s, we had “blue laws”. No business was open on Sunday – no stores, no malls. The Sabbath was a day of rest. Our fast paced world could again use a weekly day of rest. Then we knew that there was something special, and different, about Sundays.

Jesus, in Mark, reminds the Pharisees that the Lord is bigger even than Sabbath law. God commands respect and reverence because God is creator, sustainer, and redeemer. Psalm 111 speaks of God’s deeds, not just as Creator, but that God continues loving us daily.

There has been a lively argument for a number of years about who/which is more real and believable – God vs. Science. Recently, Time magazine had a lengthy article of a conversation with Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins about this topic. It boils down to a good question – “Is there a God?” Another way to frame the question – “Is science enough for a believer/seeker?”

Frankly, I like the first question and my answer is, “Yes, God is alive and well, and very active in those who choose to believe”. Again, the psalmist speaks of God’s loving relationship with us as akin to Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham: ‘The Lord will remember His covenant forever.’

Recently, I attended a conference co-hosted by Harvard Medical School, George Washington’s Institute for Spirituality and Health and others entitled, “Spirituality and Healing in Medicine”. The attendees were primarily medical professionals, scientists. Overwhelmingly, faculty presenters and participants agreed that God is present in all of life.

At times, God’s power to change a disease’s path is invoked by a patient’s loved ones. Whether the person is cured of a disease or not, he/she can be healed at some level. God’s presence is often a mystery and cannot be measured by scientific method/s.

Again, Mark reminds us: “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” There is no way to box God in or to measure God’s power or worth. It is well beyond our imagining. As God loves me and you, God simply asks each of us to acknowledge God’s covenant by returning that love – to God and with one another.