God and physics go together a lot in my mind, but it was interesting, since I’ve been reading about God, physics, and causality, to hear a sermon yesterday on God, physics, and causality.
This is particularly true because the preacher yesterday, a wonderful woman, is not going to be the first person who jumps into the mind when someone mentions a sermon on physics.
However, she suggested that the entire universe operates in a pattern of receiving and responding. Newton’s Law of Physics, she said, captures this reality. We are talking here about Newton’s third law of motion: “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” We say, “God be with you” and someone answers, “And also with you.” The rain falls down, the plants grow up. Someone behaves unkindly toward us and we return their unkindness with kindness.
This is sketchy physics, yes. But she soldiered on. “God has created the whole world with a natural inclination to receive and respond. But is this just science? Or is it something deeper?”
I’m not sure that science is all that shallow, but I like the fact that the preacher gave it a go.
I spent six hours at church yesterday and left with a calendar full of jolly events of various kinds. I have to make an effort to be among people, but I think it’s a worthwhile effort. I came home andworked some more and then hung out with my husband, reading and knitting while he watched football. He had opened the house and turned off the air conditioning, so it was too hot and muggy to sleep well and I am now suffering from allergies and, as so often is the case, sleep deprivation.
Nonetheless, I jumped up and got to my desk and got all the blog posts scheduled in time. Then breakfast. Now I must decide: go for a walk in the 90% humidity? Close the house, turn on the AC, and do some Wii fit or Daily Burn? Get back to work?
Tonight I have Master Chorale, but in between now and then I must grade papers and write a website and a bunch of blog posts.