DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING? Part Sixteen — Where Is Creation Going?

 

DID GOD REALLY CREATE EVERYTHING?

Part Sixteen — Where Is Creation Going?

By Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry

We have spent this series exploring some of humanity's oldest questions.

Who is God?

Why does evil exist?

Why does suffering exist?

What is wisdom?

Why were we created?

Can love be learned?

Why does freedom matter?

Each question has led us to another.

Now we arrive at perhaps the greatest question of all.

Where is all of creation going?

Look around the universe.

Nothing remains exactly the same.

The seasons change.

Children become adults.

Seeds become forests.

Stars are born.

Stars eventually fade.

The rivers continue flowing.

The tides continue rising and falling.

Everything appears to be moving.

Everything appears to be growing.

Everything appears to be unfolding.

Perhaps creation itself is not a finished work.

Perhaps it is an ongoing masterpiece.

When an artist begins a painting, the first brushstroke rarely resembles the finished work.

The canvas appears incomplete.

Colors seem out of place.

Shapes seem unfinished.

Only with time does the beauty begin to reveal itself.

Could it be that humanity is standing inside a painting that has not yet been completed?

Many people look at the world and see only chaos.

Wars.

Hatred.

Disease.

Violence.

Division.

Fear.

These things are real.

They should never be ignored.

Yet perhaps they are not the entire picture.

Imagine judging a magnificent cathedral while only its foundation has been laid.

You would see stones.

Dust.

Scaffolding.

Workers.

Noise.

You would not yet see stained glass.

Beautiful arches.

Golden light streaming through high windows.

Would it be fair to conclude that the cathedral would never be beautiful?

Of course not.

Construction requires time.

Perhaps humanity is still under construction.

Perhaps God has not abandoned creation.

Perhaps creation is still becoming.

One of the remarkable patterns throughout nature is that growth nearly always begins invisibly.

Before a tree appears...

Roots are growing.

Before a flower blooms...

Life is unfolding beneath the soil.

Before dawn arrives...

The horizon slowly begins to brighten.

Transformation almost always begins where our eyes cannot yet see it.

The same may be true spiritually.

Many people quietly choose compassion every day.

Many forgive.

Many serve.

Many sacrifice.

Many care for strangers.

Many protect children.

Many comfort the grieving.

These acts rarely make the evening news.

Yet perhaps they are the true movements shaping the future of humanity.

The Light has never depended upon headlines.

It grows quietly.

Patiently.

Faithfully.

Throughout this series we have often spoken about the Beast.

Now let us speak about the Builder.

The Builder does not ask,

"How can I control the world?"

The Builder asks,

"How can I improve the small part entrusted to me?"

The Builder plants trees whose shade they may never personally enjoy.

The Builder teaches children whose greatest accomplishments may come long after the teacher is gone.

The Builder writes books hoping they may help someone years later.

The Builder serves because service itself becomes part of creation.

Perhaps this is one of the deepest meanings of spiritual life.

God invites humanity to become fellow builders.

Not because God needs our help...

But because love delights in participation.

Parents understand this.

A father may invite his young son to help build a birdhouse.

The child cannot build it alone.

The father could complete the project much faster himself.

Yet something more important is happening.

The child is becoming.

Learning.

Growing.

Participating.

Perhaps life itself is God's invitation to become participants in the ongoing work of creation.

Every act of compassion adds another stone.

Every truthful word adds another beam.

Every act of mercy opens another window through which Light enters the world.

The Kingdom of God is not built through fear.

It is built through love.

Not through domination.

But through service.

Not through force.

But through freely chosen goodness.

Some people spend their lives waiting for heaven.

Perhaps heaven has also been quietly waiting for humanity to begin living its values here on earth.

Every time peace replaces hatred...

A little more heaven appears.

Every time forgiveness replaces revenge...

A little more heaven appears.

Every time compassion triumphs over cruelty...

A little more heaven appears.

Perhaps eternity does not begin after death.

Perhaps eternity begins every time love enters the present moment.

One day...

History will end.

Empires will disappear.

Nations will rise and fall.

Our possessions will belong to others.

Even our names may eventually be forgotten.

But love remains.

Truth remains.

Wisdom remains.

Compassion remains.

These are the treasures that time cannot destroy.

These are the things carried forward into eternity.

So where is creation going?

Toward greater Light.

Toward greater Wisdom.

Toward greater Compassion.

Toward greater Love.

Not automatically.

But one human heart at a time.

One family at a time.

One generation at a time.

One choice at a time.

Every act of goodness becomes another step toward that future.

Every act of hatred delays it.

The choice belongs to us.

As it always has.

In our final chapter we will bring this entire journey together.

We will return to the question that began our series:

Did God really create everything?

And perhaps we will discover that the greatest answer is not found merely in theology...

But in the lives we choose to live.

Until then...

Become a Builder.

Become a Peacemaker.

Become a Keeper of the Light.

For creation is still unfolding...

And you are part of its story.

Peace, Light, and Understanding to All.

— Reverend Michael Cook, D.Div.
Red Bull Illuminati Ministry