May 25, 2009

The Missing Link

This week, Sky News (a British news site found at www. news.sky.com) declared, “the search for a direct connection between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom has taken 200 years, but it was presented to the world today at a special news conference in New York.” The article went on to assert that this “47 million-year-old” fossilized skeleton of a lemur monkey is so significant the experts have dubbed it the 8th wonder of the world.

But my favorite part was a quote from Sir David Attenborough who said “Darwin would have been thrilled to have seen the fossil– and it tells us who we are and where we came from.”

I am not a scientist (I failed my first college level course in Chemistry) so I am not going to comment on the scientific value of the finding (even though I find it curious that the skeleton was discovered over 20 years ago and yet is just now being heralded by the media. I am suspicious that it is timed to coincide with a new book and film on this topic…). I am more interested in the sad commentary added by Sir Attenborough, “…it tells us who we are and where we came from.”

“Who we are and where we come from,” those are critically important truths that affect our every day living. So, here is yet another example of why I am so grateful that the Lord chose to reveal Himself in written words. When we are given scientific or for that matter, philosophic or theological information we need to have a credible source in which to find propositional truth. And that credible source is God’s word.

Aren’t you glad we don’t live in the middle ages when the church chained bibles to the lectern so only one guy could read, interpret and preach about the contents of the book? Today, you and I can pick up our bibles and instantly begin perusing truth for ourselves.

So before you get all excited about the fossil of a 31 inch monkey found in a Germanic volcanic pit, consider these instructive words from the scriptures:

Gen. 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”

Col. 1:16 “For by Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him and for Him”

Heb. 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command. So that what is seen was not made out of what was visible”

And pay careful attention to Acts 17:24-28 where the Spirit reminds us that we live and move and have our being in HIM! Since I know where I came from (the creative mind of God) and I know where I am going (my eternal home designed by God) I can confidently live out my life.

And I am pretty confident that there isn’t even one lemur in my family tree!

Warmest regards in Christ,
Sherry L. Worel
Stoneybrooke Christian Schools