Last Friday evening, I found myself surrounded by 30 kids and 7 adults staring up into the night sky. Even though it was a cloudy night, we could see a lot of stars. With some coaching, Dave Bakke showed the kids where the Big Dipper was and how to find the North Star.
But then, as we took in all the stars in the sky, I broke the news to the kids that, really, we can’t even see all the stars. Our human eyes can only take in so much. There are stars lightyears away that we can’t see because their light hasn’t reached us yet, and because our eyes weren’t made to see all those shining, twinkling lights. So, even though we could see a plethora of stars, there were even more out there.
In our readings this past Sunday, we heard a theme: that by the power of the Spirit, there is always something more than what we could ever imagine. Sometimes – especially as adults – it’s easy to lose our imagination and get to the point of thinking that what we see is what we get. But with God, there is always more out there.
Just think of the story of Abraham and Sarah and when God told them they were going to have a child. They were getting old, and they thought that what God was saying to them was absolutely impossible. Already by Genesis 18, the Lord had come to Abraham twice to tell him the news. And during one of those times, the Lord told Abraham that he was going to receive as many promises – and as many kids! – as he could count in the sky. But the Lord hadn’t come to Sarah yet. So by chapter 18, now it was Sarah’s turn. But when the messengers came to Sarah, she just couldn’t believe it. Instead, she laughed. But in response, the messengers said: “Is there anything too wonderful for the Lord?”
Truth is, there is nothing that is too wonderful for the Lord. And God has promised us so, so much that we can’t even see it – or perceive it – yet. So the next time you’re out at night, take a look at the stars. And think of every star as a promise that God has for you. And then, think of every star that you can’t see, and imagine all the promises that God has yet to give you, and show you.
We might not be able to see what God is doing all the time. But always, always, God is doing something so that we might know Christ’s love, and so that we might live together with God…and with each other.