Life on Mars

Two little robots costing millions of dollars were sent for a 90 day mission to Mars. So far, they have worked almost nonstop for 795 days. They are seeking answers about the planet, what certain things are that we can see from earth, its make-up, its environment. But most of all the rovers are seeking water, or at least the evidence of water that used to be there. The reason water is so important in our search not only of Mars but of every heavenly body we discover is because it is necessary for life.

And I take it for granted.

Its not uncommon for most of us (I think) to brush our teeth and let the water run. To turn on the shower and let the water get hot before we get in. To rinse the dishes and let the water run even while we aren't rinsing. We are supposed to conserve it, but many of us waste it. We are reminded that two-thirds of the earth is covered by it but the level of Lake Michigan is getting lower every year. We do not think about water much. We swim in it, drink it, bathe in it (not necessarily in that order) and cook with it. Yet we need it to survive.

Maybe that's why God used it such a powerful symbol. Because the same water that we draw from the kitchen faucet is described in Genesis 1:2 "God's spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss." (The Message) It's the same water that God called good in creation. It's the same water that God separated for Israel to walk through to escape Egypt's army. It's the same water that people immersed themselves in as John told them to repent and be baptized. It's the same water that drew you closer to God in your own baptism. It is a symbol of life, not just of breathing, eating, scratching life, but of real living with the spirit of God in us, new life.

I don't know if they will ever discover evidence of life on Mars, even if they do find water (or ice.). Just because water exists or existed there doesn't mean the rest of the required elements and circumstances for live ever existed. And it doesn't really matter. The creation story is about life on earth, not anywhere else. It's about the salvation history of humanity from the very hands of God. And it started with water, a symbol of life.

Every time we draw water, we hear it move in the sink or in the surf, in a bubbling stream or a roaring river we should think about it's deeper meaning for us. It's God's sign to us not that there is life where there is water, like on Mars,

but that there is life in us...

...through Christ!

Peace ><>
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