Singularity

[Brad Fox]

The Singularity

 

As a trained biologist, I’m somewhat familiar with the Big Bang theory of cosmology, the study of the universe.  To give a brief definition, the theory states that the universe as we know it began with an astonishing compression of all time, space and matter.  Essentially, all galaxies, stars, planets, moons, and everything else in the universe was compressed by unfathomable gravitational force into an infinitely small particle.  Yeah, that’s right; all stars, planets, galaxies, gravity, light, energy – the whole enchilada stuffed into a dot the size of this period.  This continues to be an astounding concept for me.  I’ve seen styrofoam cups and full sized railroad tanker cars crushed by air pressure (http://youtu.be/2WJVHtF8GwI ).  But the notion of compressing all matter in the universe into one vanishingly small dot is beyond imagination.  Still, the Big Bang theory is well established in the scientific community.  Some of the greatest scientific minds (Newton, Einstein, Hawking) have confirmed it in their own times using their own methods and understanding.  Like all scientific theories, it is not simply a hunch or an uneducated guess.  It is an operating principle that explains much of what we see transpiring in the universe.  As time goes on, even more evidence is coming forward to support the theory’s validity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang

An interesting outgrowth of the theory is that it creates a philosophical one-way door of creation.  Whatever existed or was in operation before the Big Bang no longer exists; and there is no way to observe or experience it this side of the singularity.  All evidence of a previous universe has been completely erased.  All things are made new.

 

My point in this essay is to consider another, even more profound and powerful singularity in history.

 

On the devastating afternoon of Good Friday, when Christ had given up his life dying for a world that so thoroughly rejected him, there was unspeakable compression of another sort.  The message of love He had so thoughtfully and sacrificially integrated into His life had seemingly come to an end.  His family, friends and followers were in shock.  All the profound lessons that He shared and lived were in ashes.  His authority had been convincingly extinguished by weak, imperfect humans.  His failed kingdom dreams now mocked everyone who knew and believed in Him.  It was bad enough losing such a young, dynamic, inspirational man.  But hope also died on that cross.  What now?  Who now, if not Jesus?  People feared for their lives; joy and meaning were out of the question.  No funeral; no wake; no acknowledgement of what He had meant to their lives; what He had done to change human thought and values.  Just hide and pray that nobody came knocking at your door. 

 

That day was more than the tragic loss of a young friend.  It was a day in which people, indeed humanity, had run out of options.  It appeared that sin and evil had won.  How could one hope for the future of the world, much less your children?  How could you get up every day knowing that Truth had died, that nobody wanted to acknowledge there was a better way to live?  Everyone would now live a lie, whether they wanted to or not.  The people who had known and loved Jesus had lost everything:

 

Loss of identity.

Loss of meaning.

Loss of relationship.

Loss of joy, hope, and truth.

 

The death of Love.

 

Incomprehensible Compression.  Crushing pressure.  Deformation of the universe.

 

Like the hyper-gravity of the singularity, Jesus’ followers’ hope and world imploded with indescribable force.  Like light being sucked into a black hole, nothing could escape the condemnation, the compression of sin and death.  The changes brought about by Christ’s death seemed to be permanent and irrevocable.  Like the universe’s singularity, nothing would ever be the same again.

Unless…

Until…

Easter morning, faithful women friends of Jesus went to His tomb to do what they could.  To quietly, anonymously, lovingly honor Him in death with the only kind act of caring that remained to be done.  They, too, had been dead; but it was due to their own sins, not others’, as in His case.  But He had lovingly resurrected them, at least temporarily, from the ever-present hell of their daily lives.  Anointing and preparing his body for the long journey of death seemed the least they could do to thank Him for this gift that was now irretrievably lost.  They had sat at the feet of Hope and rejoiced at His message of unconditional love and acceptance, if only temporarily.  This would be their final goodbye and thanks.

As they came upon the tomb where He lay, horrific circumstances got even worse.  Confusion reigned.  Not now, they thought!  Not when our lives are at such a low spiritual point!  They had mentally rehearsed what they would say to the soldiers when they reached the burial place.  But they were women, and the soldiers were under no obligation to attend to their need for access to Jesus’ body.  What if the soldiers refused their simple request; what recourse would they have?  Still they went, and strangely found that the soldiers had abandoned the now-open tomb!  The next few minutes continued to confuse and complicate matters.  Angels proclaiming resurrection; an empty slab where they were sure He had been laid; shocked disciples who couldn’t believe their own eyes either. 

Uncontrollable confusion.

Suffocating hopelessness.

Soaring pain.

Emotional breakdown.

Would this hellish compression never stop?

Then, this spiritual singularity paused.

Weeping in the cemetery garden after the exhaustion of collapsing events, Mary Magdalene could go no further. 

She was numb.

Lost.

Stuck.

Sobbing.

Crushed.

Compressed.

Singular…

http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3323454376?profi...

 

Singularity of time, space, matter.

Singularity of loss, hopelessness, death.

Lost in her grief, she didn’t notice or recognize a voice that asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?  Who is it you’re looking for?” 

 

https://janediffenderfer.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/mary-magdalene...

 

Who?

Are you serious?

Only Him who had meant everything to her.  Him who had given her hope and the promise and fulfillment of a new life.  Him who knew her better than anyone; who saw the potential she had; who accepted and loved her unconditionally, even sacrificially.  The One she had dedicated her life to.

Mistaking him for a gardener, she reflexively, almost apologetically asks what he knows about her now-lost best friend and Lord.  “What have you done with Him?” she asks.

 

Then, lifting her out of the excruciating compression He says

the word.

 

What would He say as the first word of His resurrected life?

Salvation?  Kingship?  Holiness?  Victory?  Miracle?  Hero? 

 

He said,

 

“Mary…”

 

Bang…

 

BANG!!!

Exploding!

Expanding!

Creating!

Redeeming!

Love inspiring!

Life rescuing!

World changing!

Universe reclaiming!

 

Like us, Mary found herself talking to the original Gardener.  She, like us, was restored to the original intent of Eden:  relationship with the Father!

Resurrection Bang…!!!

Like its counterpart in the physical universe, the Easter Big Bang exploded on ancient Israel and has not stopped expanding its redemptive force ever since.  There is now no going back to the sin-damaged existence we once knew.  It is a new spiritual universe.  Galaxies of divine meaning and joy await our exploration.  New creation unfolds in our own lives and throughout the cosmos.  We have hope again!  And hope is a person Who is indestructible and everlasting!  Everything has changed and been rearranged!  Instead of compression, expansion; death, life; sin, holiness; defeat, victory; hopelessness, hopefulness; temporary, eternal; loss, gain; funeral, celebration!

Scientists tell us that there is a likelihood that our cosmological Big Bang will happen again and again.  That there is every likelihood that the universe we live in now will be compressed and erased time after time.  But this won’t happen with Christ’s creative, redemptive singularity.  With Him, there is no going back to the way it was before!

 

BANG! 

 

Thank you Jesus for your indescribable gift of Easter salvation!  We love You because You gave up everything for us.  Help us to thank and bless you with our lives!

 

Love, Brad Fox