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The
other day Tyler McCollum was in the office and his three-year-old mind
was in full gear. He looked at the print hanging in the church office
and asked, “Daddy, is that a lighthouse?” Will assured him that
indeed it was a lighthouse – I even saw a little bit of paternal pride
reflected in his response. Then the child asked the one word question
that causes all parents of three year olds to shutter – “Why?”
His
mother just smiled and said, “Can you guess how old he is?”
I am
not sure this one word question occurs more frequently in
three-year-old minds, or if the rest of us just get tired of asking
it. Certainly I have heard it asked time and time again this past
week. Why can’t we go home to see the damage done to our
house? Why don’t we have power restored to our neighborhood?
Why did God let this happen?
As we
come to the end of our sermon series, Faith Matters, we come to
the intersection found at that appears frequently on life’s journey,
The Profound Why. Faith and Science both ask this question a
lot. Neither arena is afraid to ask the question, and neither arena
completely satisfies the questioners?
Several
months ago we were asked to rate on a scale of 1-10, “The degree to
which your faith impacts how you live your life.” I have
emphasized over the last month my conviction that faith is an
essential element of life that is often treated as if it were
extraneous. When it comes to the question of The Profound Why
that we often come to in our life - faith matters.
One of
the earliest writings in the Bible is the story of Job told in the
book that bears his name. It is a book of the Bible with forty-two
chapters, most of which are devoted to that one word question made
popular by three-year-olds – “Why?” Job was suffering a great
deal. He had lost everything he owned, his children had perished in a
storm, and he himself was covered with ulcers - exiled away from the
city. “Why?” was all he could ask and he asked it in many different
ways. He spoke to God time and time again about the matter. He
demanded an audience with God, petitioned for an umpire between God
and him. Finally the Lord speaks. John E. Hartley, an Old Testament
scholar, wrote, “In breaking the silence, the Lord fulfills Job’s
deepest yearning…The Lord comes to out of concern for his servant.”
Listen to how the Lord addressed The Profound Why. The opening
words of the Lord’s speeches are found in Job 38:1-7. Here now the
Word of the Lord:
1Then the Lord
answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2“Who is this that
darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3Gird up your
loins like a man, I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the
earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined
its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
7when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly
beings shouted for joy?
This is
the word of God for the people of God. In this passage the author of
Job revealed to his audience the magnitude of God’s knowledge. It is
clear from this passage that when it comes to The Profound Why’s
of life, faith matters.
I have invited Dr. Marlan Scully to share with us today how faith
matters in his profession as a physicist. Scientists spend a great
deal of their lives exploring the why’s of our lives. They do it with
the same understanding that Job had - that is an all too painful
awareness that only a few of the questions will be answered without a
shadow of doubt. I met Dr. Scully and his wife Judy after they had
been visiting A&M United Methodist Church for awhile. Every
conversation that I have had with them has been refreshing. Dr.
Scully was the first person that came to mind as I considered this
Faith Matters series. He is the Distinguished Professor of Applied
Physics, Quantum Optics – Theoretical at Texas A&M University and the
Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Materials
Science at Princeton University. When asked by a Wyoming publication
featuring his scientific accomplishments to reflect on the key to
success in life, Marlan Scully said, “It’s finding your place in the
universe and working hard to make a contribution -- using the tools
that God has given you.” It is with great joy that I invite you to
welcome Dr. Marlan Scully as he reflects on how faith matters in his
profession as a scientist.
(Below is an outline of Dr. Scully’s remarks. For the complete
reflections of Dr. Marlan Scully, go to
http://www.am-umc.org/podcast.htm September 21, 2008 podcast)
The faith of a physicist:
1.
Personal Statement of Faith – John 3:16
a.
Early years in grade school in Wyoming
b.
High school struggles in English, but excelling in Latin
c.
Religious journey from Catholic to Baptist to Bailey to Christ.
2.
Physics – What, Why, and the Big Picture.
a.
Astrophysics as a child
b.
Statistical time reflections
c.
Examples of Kepler, Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein – It was
Einstein who wrote, “All I want is to know the mind of God.”
3.
It’s About Time.
a.
Physicists know that they don’t know and tend to be open minded
seekers
b.
Significance of the statistical theory of time and the mind of God.
4.
Faith and Physics – The Mod Couple
a.
Science is based on faith that there is law and logic.
b.
Science and religion are clearly intertwined in early western
philosophy.
5.
Time and Time Again
a.
Plato’s concept of existence unbounded by time continues to get fresh
considerations
b.
The observer does have an effect on that which is observed
6.
Information Is All
a.
Wolfgang Pauli acknowledged that there are two attitudes dwelling in
the soul of man – material and spiritual.
b.
William Phillips said, “God has given us an incredibly fascinating
world to live in and to explore, (for which) I’m really thankful.”
7.
Personal Applications and Witness
a.
Early applications in the University of Wyoming
b.
The highest calling in life
c.
“…all things through Christ…” Philippians 4:13
Physics, time, knowledge, experience, and wonder are all ingredients
that have served to underscore the conviction that faith matters.
Faith matters in spite of our limitations. Much of the book
of Job is spent in the angst of limitations. His friends are limited
in their understanding of God and suffering. They consistently
assured Job that he must have done something wrong, because bad things
happen as a result of bad behavior. Job assured them that he had done
nothing wrong and was quite certain that God had made a mistake. H.
H. Rowley wrote, “Both Job and his friends were unaware of the real
reason for his sufferings and that cannot be revealed to him, or the
book would lose meaning for others who must suffer in the darkness.
The Lord’s speeches were not about Job’s suffering and cause, but
about the limits of his knowledge.” It was this limit of knowledge
that put Job in the danger that threatens all of us. It is the danger
of allowing our pride to arise and pervert our thinking. We must be
careful not to confuse knowledge and experience for omniscience or
ability for omnipotence.
God
addresses Job and does not accuse him of wrong that merits the
suffering that he has had to inexplicably endure, but rather declares
that he is speaking on a level of which he knows very little. He was
limited and so are we. He challenged God to a debate and God promised
to give him one. He is told to gird up his loins or to brace himself
for the battle that he invited. He is about to meet his limitations
in a humbling way. But don’t worry about Job, he will be fine even as
Dr. Scully and I are going to be fine. Meeting our limitations is not
the worst thing that can happen to us, meeting them without faith is.
Faith matters in spite of our limitations.
Faith matters in light of God’s limitless knowledge and power.
Even as I read this challenge I am in awe of the grace expressed in
the display of power. The Lord asserted his divinity by reminding the
creature of the ability of the Creator. The Lord laid the foundations
of the earth, determined its measurements, set its pillars, determined
the degree of our axis, laid the cornerstone. He is the master
builder. Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Turkey and walk
into some of the most beautiful mosques built by the master architect,
Sinan. As I wandered through these structures that were more than 450
years old, I stood in awe, especially since we were still waiting to
get into our brand new Christian Life Center at the time. I wondered
how someone could have designed and overseen the construction of such
beautiful structures long before all the modern machinery and
technology with which we have become so familiar. Yet when you take
those magnificent buildings and hold them next to the wonder of
creation that we can witness in the tiniest of lasers and the largest
of mountain ranges, it appears as less than a Lego set. How
incredible it is that this is the One we can call upon when we are
face to face with our limitations, when we are lost in the darkness of
our own confusion!
The
Lord remembers the day the world was created. Back in the day when a
new building was a big deal for the whole city everyone would show up
to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone. So in that first day of
creation all the stars and the heavenly beings joined in celebrating
the work of God. This is who we come to when faced with our
limitations. We come in faith to one who sees the big picture, who
knows the tiniest of details. Faith matters in light of God’s
limitless knowledge and power.
It
doesn’t matter if you are a renowned scientist, an accomplished
physician, a caring psychologist, or a successful coach – faith
matters. Oh yes, and for all of us who are not any of those –
faith matters. It is essential to the very core of
lives, not an extraneous part of the fringes. In all of life –
faith matters. Amen.
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