WEBVTT 00:00:02.200 --> 00:00:07.500 Hi, a map can be incredibly useful. It can show 00:00:07.500 --> 00:00:11.380 us where we are, where we want to go, and which 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:15.800 roads might take us there. But a map is not the 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:20.059 place itself. It cannot show us every tree along 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:24.379 the road. It cannot capture the smell of the 00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:28.339 air, the sound of the traffic, or the feeling 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:33.670 of standing. in that particular place. A map 00:00:33.670 --> 00:00:38.049 represents reality but it does not contain all 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:41.710 of reality. The same is true of a mathematical 00:00:41.710 --> 00:00:46.130 model. An equation can describe how a population 00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:49.670 grows. A graph can show the path of a planet. 00:00:50.210 --> 00:00:53.929 A statistical model can estimate how people are 00:00:53.929 --> 00:00:57.929 likely to behave. These models can reveal something 00:00:57.929 --> 00:01:02.729 true and important. But every model focuses our 00:01:02.729 --> 00:01:06.150 attention on certain features while leaving other 00:01:06.150 --> 00:01:10.950 features out. A model of population growth may 00:01:10.950 --> 00:01:14.209 not account for a year, or a new technology, 00:01:14.430 --> 00:01:19.569 or a cultural change. A financial model may describe 00:01:19.569 --> 00:01:23.189 investment returns, without capturing the fear 00:01:23.189 --> 00:01:27.310 that someone feels when the market suddenly falls. 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:31.370 The model may be accurate within its purpose, 00:01:31.569 --> 00:01:37.849 without being the whole story. Problems begin 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:41.629 when we forget the difference between a representation 00:01:41.629 --> 00:01:46.849 and the reality it represents. We begin to trust 00:01:46.849 --> 00:01:51.920 the map more than the landscape. In religious 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:58.079 language, this can be a form of idolatry. We 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:01.480 often think of an idol as a physical statue that 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:05.680 someone worships. But perhaps idolatry can happen 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:09.259 whenever we take something limited and treat 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:14.900 it as though it was ultimate. That limited thing 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:18.580 could be an image. It could be a political philosophy. 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:24.169 It could be a theological system. Think systematic 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:28.550 theology. It could even be our own understanding 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:34.569 of God. Words, metaphors, doctrines, and traditions 00:02:34.569 --> 00:02:39.250 can help shape our understanding of God. We describe 00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:44.210 God as a father, a shepherd, a king, a rock, 00:02:44.370 --> 00:02:49.050 or a consuming fire. Each image reveals something 00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:52.969 meaningful, but none of them contains the fullness 00:02:52.969 --> 00:02:58.509 of God. A shepherd is a helpful picture, but 00:02:58.509 --> 00:03:02.509 God is not merely a shepherd. A king reveals 00:03:02.509 --> 00:03:06.050 authority, but he does not say everything about 00:03:06.050 --> 00:03:10.750 God's tenderness. Even when our words are true, 00:03:10.990 --> 00:03:14.710 the reality towards which they point is greater. 00:03:15.530 --> 00:03:20.490 than the words themselves. A shape can help us 00:03:20.490 --> 00:03:26.050 see but it can also limit our vision. It becomes 00:03:26.050 --> 00:03:28.770 a window when we look through it toward a reality 00:03:28.770 --> 00:03:34.030 beyond itself. It becomes a wall when we assume 00:03:34.030 --> 00:03:37.169 that nothing exists beyond the boundaries we 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:41.389 have drawn. And I think this requires a particular 00:03:41.389 --> 00:03:45.689 kind of humility. We do not have to discard our 00:03:45.689 --> 00:03:48.889 maps, our models, our beliefs. We need them. 00:03:48.969 --> 00:03:51.949 Without them, we would struggle to understand 00:03:51.949 --> 00:03:56.469 or communicate anything. But we can hold them 00:03:56.469 --> 00:04:00.550 with an awareness that reality may be larger 00:04:00.550 --> 00:04:06.370 than our representation of it. Mathematics teaches 00:04:06.370 --> 00:04:10.650 us to appreciate models while continuing to test 00:04:10.650 --> 00:04:15.110 their boundaries. Faith may invite us to do something 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:19.529 similar, to treasure what has been revealed while 00:04:19.529 --> 00:04:24.529 remaining humble before the mystery that remains. 00:04:26.269 --> 00:04:30.370 So here's our question for today. Is there a 00:04:30.370 --> 00:04:34.930 picture, a model, or belief in your life that 00:04:34.930 --> 00:04:38.250 you might be asking to contain more of reality 00:04:38.250 --> 00:04:44.250 than it possibly can? I know I can think of a 00:04:44.250 --> 00:04:45.050 couple for myself.