ZPCBlog

About the author: Cindy Argentine has served as a deacon at ZPC for the past three years. She and her husband are part of a Home Group, and in past years, Cindy has enjoyed directing our youth choir. She and Mark have three young-adult children living in three different states, and they love to visit them. When Cindy is not writing children’s books or teaching piano, she enjoys gardening, reading, and walking with friends.

Today's scripture: Hebrews 1:1-4

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

This passage—the opening lines of the book of Hebrews—has fascinated me for a long time. Two phrases always stand out to me. Each one mentions the universe—our mysterious, amazing, complex world, with its infinite stretch of galaxies, its intricate ordering of atoms. 

The first phrase, tacked on almost as a passing thought, reminds us that through Jesus, God made the universe. This carries my mind to the gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” This little baby whose birth we are celebrating created the entire universe, in all its knowable beauty and unknowable mystery. Pondering that broadens my mind and humbles my heart.

The second phrase is this: Jesus is sustaining all things by his powerful word. Another translation specifically mentions the universe, saying Jesus “upholds the universe by His all-powerful word.” Holding up the universe is a God-sized job. It’s impossible to understand how this works, isn’t it? That incomprehensibility reveals something important about God and about us. We have to get comfortable with not always knowing everything, as much as we don’t want to. We have to trust God. We have to be patient. We have to listen to him. 

And God is speaking to us. If I had to reduce this passage to two words, they would probably be: “God spoke.” God spoke through the prophets, and then he spoke by his Son. On Earth, Jesus spoke to us with words. We treasure those. But having Jesus live and die and rise again on Earth was another way for God to speak. By living among us, and allowing us to observe and study his example, God shared himself with us. Through Jesus, he introduces himself anew to his creation. He wants us to understand who he is and what he is like. He wants to show us that he—God—is heir, creator, sustainer, purifier. He is radiant, all-powerful, majestic—and reaching out to us.

This Christmas Eve, as we sing songs of worship to this babe, born in a little town of Bethlehem, away in a manger, on a silent night, may we feel the peace that comes from placing our faith in a God who loved us enough to create everything in the universe and hold it together with his word. May we understand the nature of God, who holds limitless power and yet wants to be personally known and understood. May we accept his invitation by opening our hearts to his love and grace. And may this response, repeated around the universe, bring joy to the world.

Prayer:

Father God,
I marvel at how you are united in the Trinity with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I praise you for the wonder that is our world. I thank you for leading us to contemplate the vastness of the universe and the power you demonstrate in sustaining it. Thank you for speaking to us, both through the prophets and through your son. Open my mind to hear what you are saying. Help me know you and your love, which reaches across time and space to embrace each one of us. Enter my heart this Christmas.
Amen.

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