Tuesday 22 September 2026

Psalm 123

Background
Did you see the almost total eclipse of the Sun back in August?  It’s a phenomenon that has been happening ever since the Earth and Moon were set together in their annual orbit of the Sun. It will have been observed by every generation of humans since we first had the evolutionary ability to notice! The Moon fits perfectly over the Sun, so that (for a brief moment) it can block out the Sun’s light entirely. Because of this occasional (and monumental) event, scientists in recent centuries have been able to make leaps forward in our understanding of the universe.

And yet, the Sun has a diameter that is actually about 400 times larger than that of the Moon, so eclipses are only possibly because of the remarkable ‘coincidence’ that the Sun is also roughly 400 times further away from us (93 million miles) than the Moon (240,000 miles). 

When you know where to look, ‘coincidences’ in the universe relating to the existence of life on Planet Earth are quite common! When these are noticed, it can lead us to feel (as a species) specially blessed. A greater understanding of the sciences has led increasingly to the appearance of design, order and even complex mathematics and coding in biological systems. This is all the more remarkable when we consider that one of the fundamental laws of physics is that the disorder in a system (known as ‘entropy’) naturally tends to increase. (In a chaotic universe, where does this apparent order come from?)

According to this ancient (and monumental) Hebrew account of creation in Genesis, by the end of the third day, God had brought into existence light and darkness, day and night, the sky, the earth and sea, and the earth was filled with every kind of vegetation (Genesis 1:1-13). There’s a sense in which God creates the space or prepares the platform for life, and then fills it. In verses 14-25, we are told that in the next three days, God filled the sky, sea and earth with light (the sun, moon and stars) and life (the birds, fish and land animals), and all of this was done with purpose, diversity (“of every kind”) and value (“God saw that it was good”).

Many modern readers are embarrassed by this chapter: they find the language and descriptions strange, the scientific understanding limited, and the timeline primitive (or naïve). But in a world of competing creation stories, many false gods, and threats to human existence (then and now), isn’t there something vital, reassuring and compelling (consistent with our observations and faith) in proclaiming that the universe has been created with purpose and order, that the Earth is held in the hands of the creator, and that all the good things of this world have been designed by the same God?

To Ponder:

• Does it fill you with awe or wonder to think about the inner workings of the human body, the amazing animal kingdom, the balance of nature on earth, or the mind-boggling science of the cosmos?  Why not take your awe and wonder and turn it into praise and worship?
• There is connection between every living thing on Earth and indeed the Sun, Moon and stars in the sky – because we were all made by the same designer! How should this motivate our efforts to conserve and protect the natural world and every species God has made?
• How has this creation story helped generations of believers through many traumatic and dangerous times (from the exile in Babylon onwards) and how might it help to inspire us in the current climate crisis?

Bible notes author: The Revd Andrew Murphy
Andrew is a Methodist presbyter in the East Mercia Circuit, and currently the minister of the churches of Market Harborough, Kibworth and Rothwell, and part of the ministry team at St Giles, Desborough. He is married to Emily, with two children. He has been in the ministry for 18 years, previously serving in the Hinckley Circuit. He trained at the Wesley Study Centre in Durham, is a published hymn writer, supports Newcastle United FC, and is proud of his roots in Consett, County Durham.