A Metaphor for Divine/Human Encounter

David Alexander
29th December 2009

Eternity is an environment, stretching in every direction without end. It is not merely about
time. Time and space do not exist in eternity.

God fills eternity, but eternity does not limit God. God is greater than eternity.

God acts in eternity by love, mercy, and justice, but these attributes do not exhaust God’s
nature.

Because of love, mercy and justice, God spoke creation, a sub-set of eternity, into being.

Within creation time and space are defined. Within creation, time and space set aside eternity,
but do not overrule God. The spaces between the sub-atomic particles that make up creation
are filled with God. The sub-atomic particles themselves are inhabited by God. There is no
place without God, whether in creation (where there are places) or in eternity (where “place”
has no meaning).

With that as the framework, envision creation as spherical clay pot, surrounded by and
suspended in eternity. Creation defines a material space. It is solid in frame, but hollow (it’s a
pot, not a rock). And because it is material, it is permeated by God.

The love, mercy and justice of God shine on the outside of this pot like bright light. But
because the pot is sealed, its inside is dark. This is where humanity dwells.

The pot is cracked. Some cracks have been made from the outside by the pressure of God’s
love, mercy, and justice. Other cracks have been made from the inside, where humans, created
in the image of God, have acted according to the love, mercy, and justice that are inherent in
them. Yet other cracks have opened up where what the Celtic peoples call “thin places” exist.
The pot, to tell the truth, is riddled with cracks made by believers and dreamers, philosophers
and lovers, artists and actors, sinners and scoundrels.

Where there are cracks, the light of God’s love, mercy, justice and other attributes shines
through. Some cracks can be called dreams, others mystical experiences, and some religions
might even be places where the light shines through.

Most people live between the light and the darkness. Experts erect mirrors to direct the light
only in certain directions. Amateurs set up diffusers so that the light will not shine in so
brightly. People who by their nature are loving, merciful and just magnify the light. Some
people love the light. They try to widen the cracks so that more light can get in. Yet others,
like cosmic black holes, absorb the light and let nothing out. Some people love the darkness.
They work to seal the cracks to keep things and under control. They work to seal up the
cracks or thicken the walls of the pot against the relentless forces of love, mercy and justice.
They (we) use whatever comes to hand. There’s lots of material: knowledge, tradition,
methodology, theory, scriptures, opinion, research, etc. Sin is useful as glue to hold pieces
together. Where there’s not enough sin, there’s usually a surplus of shit, which is sticky,
malodorous and messy. It keeps people away from the places where it’s been used.

Like people using whatever comes to hand to darken a classroom on a bright morning so that
a power-point show will be clear on the screen, there are those who pile up bible verses to
block God’s light from shining in and interfering with the “power point shows” that we have
created to define ourselves.

Adherents of different religions sometimes deny that light comes through any crack other than
the one that they claim. (Claimants to particular cracks are often the most diligent at sealing it
up so that no light can come through it.) Atheists deny the existence of light. Agnostics can’t
make up their minds whether there is any light at all. Many people opt for a dim diffused
glow, background radiation, rather than surrender to the idea that light itself may ever have
shone into the darkness.

God’s love, mercy and justice come to us as light from all directions. God alone saves, and
God alone, who is far beyond our minds’ grasp, will do far beyond our ability to save
whomever God pleases to save. God is far beyond our ability to understand or control, but not
beyond our ability to love. Invisible to us as Spirit, God is visible to us in our neighbors. Let
the love, mercy and justice of God flow from us to them.