From a Distance

The Webb Telescope is a lot more than just amazing pictures. It is a summons to contemplation and faithfulness. Sure, the pictures of Jupiter were amazing, and the clarity of stars never seen before stunning. But, it’s not about us. It’s about being part of something to which we are only infinitesimally relevant. Years ago the PBS gift catalog advertised a sweatshirt with a picture of the Milky Way on it. There was a tiny dot off to one side and the caption was, “You are here.” I wore mine until it was in tatters.

The Webb Telescope is confirming what we have long suspected was true; that the universe is a lot larger than we ever imagined. It contains two trillion galaxies with hundreds of billions of stars in each galaxy and keeps expanding! We are learning that the universe is 13.8 billion years old. The view from the Telescope is confirmation of what Thomas Aquinas wrote in the thirteenth century, “Revelation comes in two volumes: Nature and the Bible. In the cosmology of Aquinas, these two sources of revelation were equal. Let that sink in. They were equal. Seeing the universe from a distance is therefore a summons to contemplation in search of a new and deeper revelation of the Divine. (Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox)

As we come to see the universe and our place in it differently, it seems to me we need to learn to pray differently. For me, the words of the Lord’s Prayer are particularly problematic. The three story universe of heaven, the earth and the underworld reflect a cosmology our modern insights no longer support.

The three story universe was the cosmology of the ancient world. Originally, the heavens and the firmament were above the earth, the earth was in the middle and the netherworld was beneath the earth. There was no inherent goodness or punishment in the heavens or the netherworld. As the Greeks had more influence in the development of thought, the idea of “heaven” as a place of reward and “hell” as a place of punishment took firmer shape. That led to a whole lot of bad theology that exists even to this day. The idea of a “father God” in the heavens out there somewhere just doesn’t work when you look through the Webb Telescope. It’s an outdated cosmology that stifles our understanding of who God is and how the universe is put together. And if we are praying with an outdated cosmology it will lead us to outdated ideas and actions.

And for the record, Jesus didn’t say, “Pray with these words or you are going to hell.” He said, “Pray like this.” It is intended to be a model that acknowledges who God is, how we relate to God, one another, and to the created order.

From the view of the Webb Telescope, here is my version of the Prayer:

Loving God, within us, around us, and beyond us

Your Presence is holy, infusing all creation.

May your Kin-dom come throughout out all the galaxies and

even on the planet we call home.

Remind us that there is enough for everyone’s need

but not everyone’s greed.

Create in us new hearts that are passionate about

the plight of all your people and our world.

Your will be done by all people of all faiths;

your will of love, justice and peace for all creation and all people.

Forgive us when we fail you and help us forgive others

when they fail you and us.

Make us strong to resist temptation and

keep us from attraction to the evils around us.

For all things everywhere are your holy creation.

To you belong honor, praise and glory forever. Amen.

I encourage you to play around with your own version. You won’t be struck by lightning, I promise. The process is as important as the finished project. Write multiple drafts and see how your perceptions are changing as you ponder humanity’s place in the universe. May your prayer and reflection time be blessed.