All good things come to an end

From the regeneration of a favourite Doctor Who to the end of an empire to the end of the whole universe and life as we know it… all good things come to an end. Or so it seems.

As far as I know, the new season of Doctor Who won’t be Matt Smith’s last, but I did want to mention him in a post here. However, I did think that last week would be Colonel Gaddafi’s last as Libyan leader.

But he is still there, and there seems to be little change in the situation. Let’s pray that the situation is resolved quickly, peacefully and in the best interests for the Libyan people.

And last night I ended up feeling a little, ‘So that’s it?’ as I watched Wonders of the Universe. Dr Brian Cox, the Uk’s hip cosmologist, explained entropy and the out-working of the second law of thermodynamics, which basically means that eventually the universe will just fade away to nothing.

I know this will take an unfathomable amount of time, but there is something quite final about such a worn out end to things. Give him his due, he did try to promote the importance of living in the here and now and enjoying the marvel that is life, but even so…

This week’s WordLive covers the end of David’s reign as king of Israel. I wonder how the nation felt at the loss of David? Future generations certainly missed him and longed for a king like David, a messiah in fact.

Personally I think that the Messiah has already existed. And I believe that something exists beyond what is bound by entropy.

How’s your faith holding up?

Darren

Looking for God

You could be forgiven for missing it, but the race is on to find the so-called ‘God particle’, the Higgs boson. And with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider out of action, the Americans believe they will beat the Europeans. (See the BBC article for more details.) Missing the recent celebration of Darwin would have been harder.

Any attempt to discover the wonders of the universe is welcome. Christians need not fear scientific investigation or discovery. We live in a glorious world which induces a sense of wonder.

But while so much scientific research in previous generations was undertaken in a sense of humility before an awe-inspiring creation and a great creator, much today seems to be undertaken in a spirit of human independence or even arrogance. We can find the answers. We will solve the ultimate questions.

God is, in the words of one of the new breed of atheists, Richard Dawkins, a delusion.

There are others who cannot believe in God but seem to wish they could. Check out the Daily Mail interview with David Attenborough or the Times article by Matthew Parris.

John’s Gospel is structured round a series of signs. For those who will come, either to the created world or to the Gospel records, with open minds and humility there is much to be discovered of the ways of God. Let’s cultivate such an attitude for ourselves and encourage it in others.

John Grayston