I knew, going in, that my four years at Grove City College would differ dramatically from those of my peers, but those differences showed up in some odd places. Take, for instance, the lunchtime conversations. At a state university, I’m assuming the typical mealtime chit-chat doesn’t center around Christian apologetics, the mind of C.S. Lewis, or the emerging art of theopoetics. In fact, I’d bet my hard-earned paycheck to say it doesn’t.
Often, I would overhear students in the cafeteria discussing the age-old debate between “free will and pre-destination.” As an Anabaptist student at a Presbyterian school, one of my favorite things to do was to breeze anonymously past these conversations, casually tossing in a “What if it’s both?” grenade as I made my way to the tray window. Ah, the simple, nerdy joys of life.
The truth is, I do enjoy being nerdy, and at this point, I don’t care who knows it! I like to read about and wrestle with big questions. I like to crack open a fresh notebook and a pack of highlighters. I like to pause in my reading to reference a dictionary or encyclopedia or (oooohhh) an atlas! Show me the map, walk me through the chart, lay out the timeline. I want to know.
Striving to Know and Pausing for Wonder
There is a caveat, however. (I just looked it up – “caveat” is Latin for “beware.” You’re welcome.) In our thirsty quest for knowledge and knowing, we cannot neglect wonder. This is true across many academic disciplines, but I believe it’s especially important in theology. As we ponder the nature of God, the Bible, the Church, and all philosophies bouncing around therein, wonder must be the driving force, the underpinning of all our study. Wonder is the foundation of faith!
Consider the idea that if we would never pause to wonder at creation, we might never ask about its Creator! Do you remember the last time you went for a walk in the woods, just to gaze at leaves with the sun glowing through them? Did you stop to admire the perfection of a spider’s web, or the curious way the shelf fungi grow on the tree bark? Do you ever watch eagerly to see storm clouds rolling in, or to catch a gaggle of geese flying south in standard formation? How do they do that!?
When we pause from our work to watch, we are drawn in to wonder. Maybe you’ve held a newly born baby, or quietly held a careworn hand in your own. In these moments, God invites us to be amazed. In these moments, He stirs our faith.
The quest for knowledge is a good one! Just be sure it’s not your only theological pursuit.
The Bible is loaded with references to the wonders of God – actions performed by God that cause mortals to marvel. It seems that these “signs and wonders” even occur outside of the natural created order. As if creation weren’t marvelous enough, God causes events to happen that defy or supersede the wonders of the natural world. For God to allow us to reproduce and bring forth beautiful babies is magnificent enough; but for God to step in and heal a newborn with a badly deformed heart in a way that leaves the NICU staff speechless – that is truly a curious affair!
Cultivating Wonder
Do you live and work and pray and study with a heart full of wonder?
Sometimes it’s difficult for us to juxtapose the practical with the extraordinary. We are trained to follow the facts, to identify credible sources of information, and to verify, verify, verify. It’s the reason why I type my sermons out, word for word: to minimize the chances I’ll misspeak and share something false. As ministry leaders, it’s crucial that we study well to uphold integrity and humbly speak the truth. It’s also vital that we make room for wonder. It’s important for us to acknowledge that in the thoughtful pursuit of God, there exists a “mysterium tremendum” – a non-rational element to the holy and divine. (To learn more on this phenomenon, you can read about the studies of Rudolf Otto.)
If faith is the evidence of things unseen, then faith and proof are mutually exclusive. One cannot exist with the other. In moments of wonder, when we allow ourselves to set aside the charts and definitive answers, we can admit that we don’t know how or why, and that’s okay. It is okay, encouraged, even, to be curious. It’s all right to seek for the pleasure of seeking, knowing full well that “the answer” may never be found. Does the idea of wondering for wondering’s sake excite you or frustrate you? Can curiosity be an end in itself?
As we step into a new year, I invite you to stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. Consider the wonder-full grace of Jesus – it’s greater than all your sin. Wander out under the sky, and wonder how Jesus the Savior could come for to die for poor, orn’ry people like you and like me. While you’re at it, consider all the worlds His hands have made. In this cynical society, and in your nerdiest pursuits, make space for awe.
May I pray for you?
Lord of all, we come to You in humility as created beings. We acknowledge our frailty, our ignorance, and our misplaced pride. We admit that often, we like to know it all; but today we proclaim that Your thoughts are higher than our highest thoughts. Your ways tower above our ways. We cannot see what all You do from beginning to end. Rekindle our faith, and give us an experience with You that we cannot deny, cannot explain. Teach us to seek You better, and to find fulfillment in the beauty of wonder. May we declare Your glory among the nations, Your wonderful works among all peoples. It’s by Christ we come, Amen.
* Photo credit Garrett Heath
Abby Shaffer is a 2005 graduate of Grove City College and was licensed into set-apart ministry in 2006. She received her ordination in 2017. After serving in district ministry for ten years, God called her to serve her home congregation as a pastor, in 2019. She lives in Western PA with her husband, Dan, and their rabbit, Gary. She marvels daily at God's grace!
