Preparing for aliens.

You awake to strange strobing lights illuminating the bedroom.  There are quiet sounds of someone moving around outside.  A quick peek out the window reveals a flying saucer complete with little alien beings armed with their odd-looking ray guns.  

It is a theme that dominates our popular culture: visitors from outer space.  From H. G.  Wells’ “War of the Worlds” to Star Trek, we fantasize about what “life out there” - if there is any - may look like.

If we were visited by aliens from another planet who had never heard of God, how could we explain our faith?  What would be the core ideas we would need to communicate?  It seems strange to me that most Hollywood-produced aliens are fluent in English, but perhaps that is a good thing.  It would facilitate communication!   The key to explaining our faith would be to keep it simple.

For the majority of people in our culture, a truthful and authentic understanding of the Creator God and what it means to make Him the object of our faith is an alien concept.  There is little to no context for understanding how all this “stuff” - our reality - came to exist, or how it derives value and purpose.  If our reality started by a chance encounter of mysterious materials in a vacuum of nothing, the only source of meaning can be found internally.  However, if there is something “out there” that is responsible for bringing this “stuff” into existence, then meaning can be found externally.  The next big questions are, “What does have value; what is the purpose of life?”

 Engaging with aliens is hypothetical.  It is not-so-hypothetical that we will chat with people to whom our faith is alien.  Keeping it simple, here are nine words which summarizes our faith and can at least start to answer questions about value and purpose.

In the beginning (3 words) - the first words in the Bible, these are the most important words!  If God is not Creator, then God cannot be Redeemer.  Because this created order has a beginning (and by inference, some kind of ending) there is a reason it was created.  Since God is Creator, He is also the provider of all things.  The story of creation tells us who the Creator is and assures us of His authority over everything, even when it sometimes seems to be headed into chaos.

Life is good (3 words) - When God created the world, He declared it good, and then "very good."  This does not speak to the quality of His workmanship (although it was outstanding).  Rather, "good" speaks to value and purpose.  Life does have meaning, life does have value, life is good.  Although we now live in a created order that is contaminated by sin and in constant rebellion against the Creator, the underlying purpose and value is still there.  Despite the sorrow and injustices caused by sin, there is still meaning to life, hope in Christ, and redemption and reconciliation to God.

Our Father (2 words) - Jesus taught His disciples to pray, starting with these two simple words.  They imply several things, especially that God is personal (i.e. He relates to us as a Person, not just a spiritual energy force) and that we can have a relationship with Him (God can reconcile us to Himself).  Thus, God is knowable, engaged and approachable.

Eternity (1 word) - The time-based reality in which we live is not the ultimate end.  God exists before time and invites us to live with Him into eternity.  Time is not a limit God experiences.  Life is fleeting and eternity is waiting.  We don't waste or despair time trying to get to eternity.  Eternity will come for all of us.  Because of eternity, everything is not as it appears.  As Solomon said, life “under the sun” is temporary, but God’s eternal purposes are always being accomplished (and almost always beyond our comprehension).  For that, through Christ, we have hope.

Obviously, this is just scratching the surface.  But it does provide a structure that can guide a conversation toward the necessity and relevance of faith. Faith isn’t about religion.  It is about our relationship with the Creator God and all He has created.  It is about understanding what is truly important - so important it provides structure to every life-decision we make.

Here are a few alien greetings:  “Call home.  Live long and prosper.  May the force be with you.”

This may be equally alien but is much richer in meaning:  “May He who has begun a good work in you continue it until the day of Jesus Christ and may you know the riches of His grace.”