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| Pillars of Creation - Image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope |
Hello and welcome to St Stephen Walbrook where on Tuesday mornings we start the day by stopping to reflect for ten minutes. Please stay as long as your schedule allows. Today our reflection is inspired by the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope which took place on this day in 1990. We begin with a short Bible Reading.
You can listen to an audio recording of this reflection at this link.
Colossians 1.15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is
before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the
head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all
the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased
to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making
peace through the blood of his cross.
Reflection
On this day in 1990, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle
Discovery sent the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Far above the hazy
atmosphere, its main mirror - which is about the same diameter as our circular altar
- has been providing detailed pictures of the far reaches of the universe for
over thirty years.
As you might imagine, the world’s most sophisticated digital
camera boasts a rather impressive photo album! One famous image is known as
‘Pillars of Creation’ - a phrase taken from a sermon by the Baptist preacher
Charles Spurgeon. A close-up of part of the Eagle Nebula, it shows a star being
born from three columns of interstellar gas and dust, the largest of which
measures four light years across.
We are made from stardust. Every atom of carbon in our bodies was
once inside a star. The powerful nuclear furnaces of the stars are the only
places in the universe where the element vital for life can be made. ‘Pillars
of Creation’ therefore shows not only the birth of a new star - but offers a
glimpse of how all life began.
Perhaps the greatest advance in astrophysics that the Hubble
Space Telescope has made however is not related to any of the spectacular
stellar phenomena it has seen - but rather what it has not seen.
Revealed only by its gravitational pull on visible matter in
space, the Hubble Space Telescope was able to confirm the location of “Dark
Matter” - the glue that holds the universe together - which is invisible
because it does not emit, reflect or absorb light. Other observations made
using the telescope confirmed the existence of “Dark Energy” - the precise
nature of which is still a mystery to scientists but seems to be causing the
universe to grow - to expand - at an accelerating rate.
It has been projected that visible matter - everything we can
see - accounts for just five percent of the universe. Dark matter and dark
energy account for all the rest. So the fullness of the universe remains
largely invisible to us, at least at present.
The same could be said about our lives. What we can see - what
is visible of the world and of each other - accounts for just a tiny fraction
of the fullness of life.
Joy, trust, inspiration, meaning, passion, belonging, faith,
hope and love - the glue that holds us together and makes life complete - none
of this can be seen with the naked eye. Neither can desire - the force which drives
us to seek out what matters most – to expand our horizons. To grow.
But whilst invisible, this living reality is not
undetectable.
Just as the Hubble Space Telescope confirmed the existence of
dark matter by its effect on visible matter; joy, trust, inspiration, meaning,
passion, belonging, faith, hope and love all seem to resonate within us when we
encounter them. Scripture is full of descriptions of such ‘eureka
moments’ when the mystery of our inter-connectedness is revealed.
Writing
to the church in Colossae, St Paul adapts what is thought to have been a well
known poem or hymn, to remind his
readers that human destiny and cosmic destiny are connected through the cross
of Jesus. Like the Hubble Space Telescope, he offers an awe-inspiring image of
our universe. He invites us to look through the lens of scripture with the eye
of faith and see joy, trust, inspiration, meaning, passion, belonging, faith,
hope and love in the person of Christ - the image of the invisible God, in whom
the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Whilst most matter remains invisible to us may we accept this
invitation to make visible in our lives what matters most.
Living up to the image in which we were made. Finding strength in the mystery
of our interconnectedness.
A few moments of silence before we pray.
Prayers
Creator of all things visible and invisible.
Help us to see what matters most.
Lord, help us to see this world through the eyes of faith;
to remember that most matter and what matters most is invisible
but not undetectable.
May we learn not to judge by appearances but to be guided by the
resonance of your love.
Creator of all things visible and invisible.
Help us to see what matters most.
Lord, we have been made in your image.
Help us to reflect it in the world by living according to your
word.
We give thanks for all who risk their lives in the search for
truth.
Amidst the complexities we encounter in our lives today may we
remember that you are the One who binds all things together.
Creator of all things visible and invisible.
Help us to see what matters most.
Lord, you are the maker of heaven and earth and through the death
and resurrection of Jesus have shown us that human destiny and cosmic destiny
are connected.
Help us to find strength in the mystery of our
interconnectedness and the value in all our relationships - with those we see
and those we see no longer.
Creator of all things visible and invisible.
Help us to see what matters most.
Blessing
May the beauty of God be reflected in our eyes,
the love of God be reflected in our hands,
the wisdom of God be reflected in our words,
and the knowledge of God flow from our hearts,
that all might see, and seeing, believe.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy
Spirit, be with us and remain with us this day and always.
Amen.
Image : Pillars of Creation - taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA
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