You exist because of an extraordinary chain of cosmic luck stretching back 13.8 billion years to the Big Bang. From that infinitesimally small singularity emerged all the elements that would eventually form stars, planets, and you. Consider the precise timing required – if your parents had felt amorous just an hour earlier, you wouldn’t exist. You are literally made of stardust, living on a Goldilocks planet with conditions perfectly suited for life, owing your very existence to countless instances of good fortune throughout cosmic history.
Yet your existence transcends mere physical luck. You are called to recognize that while nature forms the body of creation, God provides the soul. The spiritual Big Bang described in John’s Gospel – “In the beginning was the word” – reveals that divine spark within you that connects all humanity as parts of one magnificent whole. This understanding transforms your good fortune from simple chance into sacred purpose, making you responsible for manifesting the soul of the universe through your actions and community.
“All are but parts of one stupendous whole whose body nature is and God the soul.”
Your remarkable luck becomes a profound responsibility when you consider those whose experience includes bombs instead of airplanes, starvation instead of abundance. Through beloved community at places like First Plymouth, you plant seeds of soul that can grow into transformative action.
You are called to advance humanity away from hurtfulness toward embracing diversity, working toward the ultimate goal of creating true community among all humankind. This is how you honor the 13.8 billion years of cosmic preparation that led to your existence – by being the mind of the universe that recognizes its beauty and the soul that works to heal its divisions.
