DOES GOD EXIST TODAY?

Of course God exists! God is eternal, no beginning no end! I don’t know when it became so trendy or popular to dismiss God but so it seems in this atheistic leaning world.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters Genesis 1:1-2

 In the New Testament, when travelling through Athens, St. Paul remarked that the people were very much into worshipping many gods (temples to Apollo, Poseidon, and Aphrodite) and even had placed an altar to an Unknown god who Paul announced to them is the Christian God.

“Men of Athens I perceive that you are in every way religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you” The unknown God of the Greeks is he in whom “we live and move and have our being, the God who made the world and everything in it.” Acts 17:22-32

Throughout history, dependent mankind, noting their limits, attempted to create gods to meet their needs, like a harvest god for crops and fertility god for children.

Mankind makes something out of something that already exists. For example, a chair, the carpenter, uses tools and material to fashion a chair, the cook is dependent on the grocery store or on the ingredients from her garden… Unlike us, God needs nothing. God creates out of nothing.

Man pretends he is god by clinging to the addictions of money, pleasure, and power. These are futile and will fail us always. “our hearts are restless until they rest in God.” St. Augustine

Some people argue against the existence of God because of all the evil in this world.  They argue, if a God exists He would never allow such evil to happen. God never wills sin but He also respects our free will…our choice, not His!

Sin spreads; Sin has consequences.. Some will say I am not hurting anybody when I commit this sin or another.  How so?  You are at least hurting yourself and those closest to you.

When you sin it makes it easier to choose sin the next time…That wasn’t so bad and who did I hurt. You hurt yourself by feeding your selfishness… by choosing your will over God’s will.

Sometimes, the evil, God allows brings a greater good, like conversion, reconciliation and forgiveness.  What some perceived as the humiliating, shameful death of Jesus became our lifeline to eternity….the greatest good ever!

Who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,  of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6.

As we prepare for Advent, a season of waiting on the Lord, we reflect on our need for God more than ever in this world.  In that first Christmas the Christ child was placed in a manger because there was no room in the Inn.

Is there room in our hearts for the Christ child today?

HE WHO SEES ME SEES THE FATHER

CONCLUSION

Some say faith is less reliable than science.  I say what about the daily leaps of faith each day such as when you flush the toilet it won’t overflow..  that you won’t fall and break your leg on the way to your car…there is a road to take you to your destination…that your destination exists…that the bridge you cross will not collapse under you…that your family will still be there when you return…and so forth

How is faith in God any less reasonable than the daily leaps of faith we make?.   When people dismiss or ignore God’s existence they ignore His graces and dismiss His support for times of stress, grief, despair…they reject the inspiration to pray for others in need, especially loved ones who may have taken a wrong turn on their journey “home.”

   CLOSING PRAYER FROM PSALM 145 

I will extol you, my God and king;

I will bless your name forever and ever.

Great is the LORD and worthy of much praise,

whose grandeur is beyond understanding.

The LORD is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in mercy.

The LORD is trustworthy in all his words,

and loving in all his works.

LORD is just in all his ways,

merciful in all his works.

My mouth will speak the praises

of the LORD

and will bless his holy name

forever and ever!