ARE YOU IMPORTANT?
These are the very first words of the song, Here I Am
to Worship, “Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.” Upon hearing this song this morning, I couldn’t
help but think of how people want to be important but fail to realize just how
important and valued they truly are.
One only needs to ponder two things deeply and carefully
to realize just how important they are.
The first thing is to consider how God is the Creator of
all that exists. He is “Maker of all things visible and invisible,” according
to what we profess in the Nicene Creed. Think deeply about what is being said here.
God created the entire universe, the ends of which science will most likely
never determine, a vast universe containing billions of galaxies, containing billions
upon billions of stars and planets. Think also of the microscopic world with
all of its intricate detail and complexities, many of which still escape the
knowledge of modern science.
The second thing to consider is that the same Creator God
mentioned above chose to descend upon our earthly realm, making his appearance
in history as a helpless infant no less.
Why did He do this, you ask?
God chose to become both fully human and fully divine in
order to fulfill his mission of restoring creation to its originally intended
condition prior to Adam & Eve’s fall in the garden - to redeem us. He
accomplished this mission through his life, passion, death, and resurrection. The
Creator God assumed our human nature so that we could have the opportunity to share
in his divine nature. This happens when we unite ourselves with Christ, the
Word made Flesh. To share in God’s divine nature is to be given the opportunity
to experience the ultimate happiness of living eternally in the presence of God.
Without God’s incarnation and redemption, we were in danger
of returning to a state of nonexistence (nothingness), since God created
everything from nothing, and God being God, He was not about to allow that to
happen.
How important are you? VERY IMPORTANT!
To learn more about the subject, consider reading St. Athanasius'
On the Incarnation
Also enjoy Father John Behr’s talks on St. Athanasius’
work on YouTube
