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Psalm 19 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, 2 One day tells its tale to another, 3 Although they have no words or language, 4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, 5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; 6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens 7 The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; 8 The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; 9 The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; 10 More to be desired are they than gold, 11 By them also is your servant enlightened, 12 Who can tell how often he offends? 13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We’ll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Einstein was on to something.
“We are in the position of a little child, entering a huge library whose walls are covered to the ceiling with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written those books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order, which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of the human mind, even the greatest and most cultured, toward God. We see a universe marvelously arranged, obeying certain laws, but we understand the laws only dimly. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellations.”
-Albert Einstein
I find myself wondering if Albert Einstein was tapping into the wisdom of the author of Psalm 19. (We heard the psalm in church yesterday, and it’s included above.) The psalm seems to have two parts. At first, I thought they were non-sequiturs, the first part speaking of the marvel of creation, the second part speaking of the marvel of God’s law, the perfection of commandments.
The quote from Einstein made a connection. Adopting the vision of a child (Jesus said that was a good idea), Einstein notes the insight that creation conveys a definite plan, a mysterious order, a universe marvelously made. In light of that, the human mind perceives certain laws, even if only understood dimly, even if our “limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that sways the constellation.”
So what’s the so-what factor this Monday morning? We can start by recognizing that our call is to live in radical amazement, a phrase attributed to Abraham Heschel. Any attentiveness to the beauty and miracle of creation, always surrounding us, can help us live that way. Recognizing all of that, we are to respond by living according to certain laws.
The psalmist speaks of those laws in verses 7 and 8: The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. The statutes of the Lord are just and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear and gives light to the eyes.
And what might we know of those commandments? More to the point, given that we’re talking about the so-what factor, how are we meant to live?
The Jewish tradition calls the faithful to repeat the Shema daily: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind.” The prophet Micah said that this is what the Lord requires: To do justice, love mercy, to walk humbly with your God. (Thanks for reminding us, Bishop Budde. Thank the Lord for Bishop Budde.) When Jesus was asked for the greatest commandment, he said it was simple, if not easy. It was not one thing, but two. It involved a complete love of God with all that we are and have. And it involved loving neighbor as self. Like my initial reading of Psalm 19, we might see these as non sequiturs, as separate pursuits. Jesus didn’t seem to think so. And while I don’t think any of us will fully live in obedience to Jesus’ commandment, we are each called to take steps in that direction. How might we take those steps this week?
One more insight from Albert Einstein, here paraphrased. He said that we have a choice in life. We can see nothing as miracle or we can see everything as miracle. Like that child entering that library, sensing marvelous intention, may we walk through this coming week with radical amazement. May that point of view, that way of being, help us step into a life marked by deeper love, which is what our Lord commands.
-Jay Sidebotham
