Sermon On Ausência

Kurt Vonnegut, an American writer once remarked: “Science sent the Hubble telescope out into space, so it could capture light and the absence thereof, from the very beginning of time. And the telescope really did that. So now we know that there was once absolutely nothing, such a perfect nothing that there wasn't even nothing or once.” Genesis 1:1-5 reminds us: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

Ausência is a Portuguese word that translates literally into “Absence.” Absence is defined as the state of being away from a place or person. It can also refer to the non-existence or lack of something. Absence can create a host of different emotions, it can enhance the love of someone or something from a missing presence, it can create sadness, concern, anger, disappointment, frustration and many others. However, absence in the extreme, can create “Nothingness.” Which may infer darkness without any light.

That, in itself, may encounter severe difficulties or lack of necessities. Light is needed for growth and life. It is necessary, not only to see things clearly, but to understand. Matthew 5:14-16 informs us: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

If we only ever have “nothing” in life, the pertinent questions may need to be asked: “Do we really exist or, is there any point in existence?” We know that God created heaven and earth, He also formed mankind. But, without these establishments, there would be nothing. Any structure of substance would be lacking. It would signify a total absence of life and the expectancy it creates. Genesis 2:7 confirms: “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Some people may wonder about the absence of God. He can’t be seen, so that may invoke doubts or possibly the searching question: “Does He really exist?” However, we should always remember that absence does not confirm non-existence by itself. Robert Sokolowski, an American philosopher once remarked: “God himself, as God, does not appear in the world or in human experience. He is not the kind of being that can be present as a thing in the world. And yet, despite this necessary absence, he is believed to be that which gives the definitive sense to everything that does appear in the world and in experience. We first learn about the Christian God in the course of Christian living. We hear about him through preaching, we address him in prayer, and we attempt to respond to him in our actions; however, we approach him as one who will always be absent to us while we remain in something we now must call “our present state.”

Revelation 3:1-5 reminds us: “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

Everyone needs a purpose in life, without it we lead an inefficacious existence. It revokes continued absence and seeks fruitfulness. It provides goals, it sets targets, it rejects apathy and encourages motivation. It can become the prime reason for existence. That certain something to strive for. 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”