3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
Hebrews 11:3
Paul starts his discusssion of the heroes and heroines of our faith at the point of creation. They were people who believed, had faith, in an unseen God to bring about an unseen future dwelling place that they never entered in this life! So where does Paul start to tell his story? At creation. God who is unseen spoke and created all that we see and experience. The invisible created the visible. The painting, the carving, the music or vision for a building or a garden starts in the heart or mind of the creator. Paul identifies that creator in John 1:1-5 as Jesus Christ, the Word.
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
It is by faith that we accept this basic truth. As we walk in nature, as we talk with friends, as we listen to music and possibly just walk through life, God is speaking to us and revealing himself. What we see draws us to a God we cannot see. Heroes and heroines tap into this faith.
But more than that, it draws us to hope. The sunrise promises a day when the unexpected – good and bad – can happen and define us as we respond. We hear about the wars around the world but we also hear about the acts of kindness in the face of evil. We will choose the flower over the decay almost everytime. I suspect Paul is going to show us that heroes and heroines are not super special people but they are people like you and me who look for the hand of God in the ordinary events of our days.
Lord, give us eyes and hears today to see and hear your creative efforts to bless us. Help us to use our creativity to bless others.
On the Way to Wonder 