Seeing Creation After Bethlehem
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” John 1:14
Even though I was a history major in college I do not consider myself much of a historian. Still, I do remember that at the time of Christ many Greeks believed that matter was evil. Only things related to the spirit were considered good. This philosophy affected many early Christians. There was the belief among some early followers that the body and all things material were corrupt. One can only imagine how those holding such a view looked at the natural world.
Today we can say with confidence that the material world is not evil. We know from Genesis 1 that the world was created by God and that He declared it “good.” But even if we didn’t have this passage, the birth of Christ also makes the same positive affirmation. How so? Simply by His willingness to take on human flesh in the Incarnation God affirms the goodness of the material world and Creation.
Although you rarely hear people declaring the material world evil these days there are still many who make a clear distinction between things sacred and secular. After the coming of Christ I am not sure that even this is a valid distinction. The coming of Jesus as Emmanuel—God with us—reveals the truth that the divine presence permeates all of the world. As Emmanuel, God remains present in and around us. This means that if we truly have eyes to see then we will discern His presence in Creation and in those around us. Jesus himself said “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” If we look closely we will see it all around us.
While I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a couple of weeks ago I had a chance to spend some time at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. In additions to her delightful paintings, the museum displays a number of sayings from the famous artist. O’Keeffe once said, “seeing takes time.” When it comes to seeing the divine in this present world it does, in fact, take time. But if we will be persistent in our looking and open to God’s wonderful surprises, we will discover that the God who made Himself known through the Child born in Bethlehem is still very much in our midst.
–Chuck
(I took the two pictures above on my recent trip to New Mexico.)