Sometimes the toughest challenge we face as human creatures is uncertainty – in fact, it’s that we are self-conscious about that uncertainty. We are aware of what we don’t know or can’t control, and we don’t like it – darn it! As comforting as a rational, fact-based existence may be, it is in ambiguity that we meet the Holy, that we encounter God. The whole of Christianity is full of paradox despite that fact that many would like to find absolute certainty there. There is light and dark; life, death and resurrection; hope and despair. All are part of the life of faith.
It takes courage to venture into the unknown, or to stand up for what we feel to be right in the face of those who disagree, and have a different view of truth. That is a great lesson we can take from the inheritance of scripture – from the prophets who followed God’s call without knowing where it would lead; from those like Nicodemus who questioned the experiences of Jesus saying, “How can this be?” Not everything that is “truth” can be broken down into provable facts. And not everything that is fact has the profound, deep resonance of truth. Truth is in our individual perspectives. One thing we know – God is not a fact or a set of facts. God is simply, completely true.
Pastor Carol
