Hairy Ball
February 6th, 2022 – Communion Meditation
You may have heard that of all the angles at which we can subject our bodies, there’s only one angle at which we can stand upright (thank you, gravity). Feel free to try any of the other angles at home. 😊
You may not have heard of what mathematicians fondly call the Hairy ball theorem, which states that “a continuous vector field tangent to a sphere must have at least one point where the vector is zero.” Colloquially it can be stated as “you can’t comb a hairy ball flat without creating a cowlick.” William and I were just talking about our cowlicks last week. The hairy ball theorem also guarantees that there’s always at least one point on Earth where the wind isn’t blowing. When we get caught up in the storms of life that threaten to overwhelm us, let’s remember that there is always one place where the wind isn’t blowing and there is complete stillness. It’s not a physical place limited to a single location, of course, but it is a continual invitation from God to each one of us, no matter who we are, no matter what we’re going through, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what we haven’t done, to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). In God’s presence, all are welcome to find a place of rest, safety, and refuge.
Listen to the entirety of that Psalm 46 as it is rendered in The Message. I encourage you to close your eyes as I read this and in your mind’s eye, see the Lord inviting you to rest and find refuge in Him in the middle of your life circumstances:
“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city, this sacred haunt of the Most High. God lives here, the streets are safe, God at your service from crack of dawn. Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten, but Earth does anything he says. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us. Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.”
As the elements are distributed, I invite you to join me in meeting with Christ Jesus at His table by receiving the bread and the juice in obedience to His command to His disciples to “do this in remembrance of me.”
We remember you, Lord Jesus! All glory to you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
