I understand[1] there’s a group of NASA research physicists who are currently monitoring 156,000 stars in a tiny sliver of sky called the "Goldilocks Zone" – named after the story-book character because that area of sky is neither too hot nor not too cold – but just right, for there to be liquid water somewhere in-zone. The scientists are trying to find life on other earth-like "exo-planets." A few weeks ago they announced that they had identified 1,235 possible planets, fifty-four of which are about the size of the earth and in the habitable Goldilocks zone. Does your mind boggle at such exploration? Mine certainly does.
And, the mind is blown further, when we consider another of the hottest topics in cosmology — parallel universes. Theoretical physicists[2] are now inviting us into exploring the possibility that reality is composed not merely of our single "universe," but of many "multiverses," each with its own set of natural laws. The very thought "would blow Newton's mind," says the theoretical physicist Brian Greene.
I wonder, if in addition to the joy of science, whether there's a wistfulness in the search for other worlds – a wistfulness with which each of us might identify, on a deep level. Do the scientists – along with each one of us – long for something better than we presently have? Do they see the way in which we have exploited, battered and abused this Earth, our planet home, and yearn to find some parallel reality, where we could start again? Do they imagine that maybe there's a similar-but-different form of life on an exo-planet that's doing better than we are here on earth? Is some of their search, tuned into the hope for a whole different realm of being where time is eternal, space is infinite, the laws of physics are unique, and our longing for magic and mystery finds fulfillment? Maybe – or maybe not.
But, this yearning for another world, a parallel universe, while now fuelled by an unprecedented depth of research and discovery is not the only search. It ties in to yearnings from other periods in history – and resonates deeply with the spiritual quest. Is not this something of the yearning that we find addressed within the Christian good news? Is not the kin-dom of God – as described by Jesus one such parallel world existing both concurrently and beyond our present life-experience?
Jesus teaching about an alternate reality, reminded his listeners - Life doesn’t have to be the way it is. There is another way. In this alternate reality, it will be like living in a different country, under a totally different style of government – neither dictatorship nor democracy – in a kin-dom, or common-wealth where fullness of life will be the reality for all people – not just the rich, not just the privileged – in fact, for those who have been oppressed there will be freedom beyond imagining; for those who live in fear of poverty, war and sorrow, there will be healing, abundance and joy. In this new parallel universe, there will be peace on earth and goodwill for all people. It’s a wonderful dream – of a mind-blowing reality – a radical alternative to ‘business as usual on planet earth’. And, Jesus taught, it’s already possible for us to be part of it.
Citizens in this new "nation", which Jesus describes, have no interest in conquering other lands or peoples. Its primary measure of success is not its gross national product. Its people are not afraid of aliens and immigrants but instead welcome them. In short, the alternative community of God reflects the character of God.
This other way is not just a faint hope for the far future – although it seems almost beyond our reach. We see glimpses of it – especially reflected in the lives of people, who we see living what we might call extraordinary lives. How do they do it? Last Sunday we considered the way in which Muslims and Christians in Egypt supported and protected each other in solidarity – moving beyond their own personal beliefs and safety zones, to a place where the unexpected and hopeful could be experienced - a true living out of God’s alternate reality. Tonight, we might think of the increasing violence that is becoming part of our way of life – even here in Dunedin. There have been several incidents recently leading police to declare Dunedin is no longer a safe city at night. As people who follow the Prince of Peace, we cannot ignore this situation. Our actions – the way we operate in our daily lives – must announce that this is not the way it has to be – it certainly isn’t the way of God’s parallel world.
After some recent violence in America, a Jewish writer[3] reflected on how, in the face of terror, we so often seek reasons and explanations: “we want to know who and what is to blame,” Rabbi Hirschfield writes, “hoping that if we could figure that out and make it go away, we would be free of [the] horrors”
Do you do that? I know that I do. So often I find myself trying to work out who created the context that made someone act in such a violent way. Was it the perpetrator’s family – the crowd they have been hanging around with – the government? Somehow, when we see or experience others being violent – our only options seem to come from pain or powerlessness - there doesn’t seem anything else we can do. It’s easier (and perhaps more satisfying) to point the finger and apportion blame.
And there, of course, we too enter into the spiral of violence: for when we express our anger and hurt in the language of blame, we too are using violence against others – violent speech incites actual violence. And, in the long run, our shouting against violence just perpetuates that which we hate and in the long run, provides little comfort.
The alternate way – the way of the parallel universe, God’s reality – suggests another pathway. Instead of raging about what someone else did to contribute to the shock, sorrow and pain we are feeling, we need to look not to the Goldilocks Zone of stars and galaxies, but the zone deep within ourselves. Rabbi Hirschfield explains how “Trying times, in the Jewish tradition, have always called for self-examination. In Hebrew, it's called Heshbon HaNefesh, or soul searching.”
“Soul searching is not about letting those who pull the triggers off the hook. It is not about letting those who contribute to the culture in which pulling triggers seems more reasonable, off the hook either. But it is about looking inward to address those things which really are within our control, rather than simply raging about those things which are not.”
Here the teaching of Buddhism and Christianity join the Jewish pathway: the Dalai Lama puts it succinctly: “My enemy helps me in my conduct of awakening.” Jesus of Nazareth spells it out more specifically: “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy’ but I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ A Tibetan monk who had been tortured in a Chinese prison for 22 years was once asked by the Dalai Lama: "What were you scared of the most in prison?" He replied: "I was afraid that I might lose my compassion towards the torturers." How’s your compassion for your enemies – is it alive and well?
From the concentration camp, where she eventually lost her life, twenty-nine year old Etty Hillesum wrote in her diary, ‘I try to look things straight in the face, even the worst crimes, and to discover the small, naked human being amid the monstrous wreckage caused by [humanity’s] senseless deeds’[4]
Rabbi Hirschfield’s suggestion is something anyone can try to do: “We can begin to change the culture of violence in our world [and city] by changing ourselves, something which we all have the power to do. I think it's what Gandhi meant when he taught people to be the change they wanted to see in the world.
In the wake of rising incivility, each of us can be a bit more civilized. Every one of us could speak a bit more gently, with a bit more appreciation of those with whom we come into contact. It is possible to create the culture we want – each tiny step does make a difference.
It's up to us, even in the midst of events which we often feel are beyond our control and out of our reach. We can search our souls and be the change we hope to see, and it's amazing how healing that can be.”[5] This is the path to one parallel universe, the one known as the Kin-dom of God.
We too can follow the way of Jesus, incarnating a parallel world, an alternate reality here and now. Let it be so.
[1] This sermon draws heavily on and quotes extensively from “The Parallel Universe of the People of God” Daniel B. Clendenin, http://www.journeywithjesus.net/ for 20 February 2011.
[2] The Grand Design (2010) by Stephen Hawking and The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos (2011) by Brian Greene
[3] “Finding Solace After Arizona Shooting” By Rabbi Brad Hirschfield Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions info@parliamentofreligions.org 14 January 2011
[4] Carol Lee Flinders Enduring Lives 2006, p.35.
[5] Hirschfield, 2011
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