“If God didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” This quote is attributed to Voltaire, the well-known French philosopher. It prompts us to stop and think.
Do we live in an arbitrary, random universe that is subject to complete chance? Or is there more to it? Is there a higher authority whose order and purpose is designed to shape our lot?
Today we discover there is a big “yes” to this. There is a God. We are not victims of chance. We are not subject to a random, incoherent existence suggesting life is wholly aimless, erratic and without purpose.
The Bible affirms that we are born into a way of being fashioned by God. The scriptures declare we live in a world shaped and sustained by the Creator. God’s word proclaims we are here for a definite reason!
Life for many of us may not always suggest this is so – we struggle, we fail, we get sick and we die. But the Biblical witness assures us that, in God’s order of things, we are created for a purpose – and that purpose is to live in a death-defying relationship of mutual love, one with the other and one with God.
Importantly, in bringing about this purpose, God institutes definite measures. God presents us with clear directions. And this means we are to respect that which God places upon us. We are to take seriously that which God requires us to be.
This is not always an easy thing to do. But God calls for obedience. God calls for commitment. Christianity is not a “free-for-all” where we are licensed to do whatever we want or feel!
In today’s world we face massive issues – the unrelenting thirst for wealth and success, the insane call to escalate the arms race, the self-serving urge to put ourselves and our nation first.
God’s order of things says there is a different way. God’s purpose claims there is a vital alternative. Here, we are to listen to what God is saying. We are to be obedient to what God requires. We are to travel with Jesus as a committed people no matter what the cost.
On this first Sunday of Lent let us stop, let us listen and let us begin that kind of journey. For, we are people who truly belong to God!
John Barr