Life, Hope and the Pale Blue Dot

How does the gospel speak to the anxiety, hopelessness and existential dread of our generation?

On 5 September 1977, the ‘VOYAGER’ spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The mission was to fly past the planets of the solar system and take pictures, and then to keep travelling into the endless expanse of space. On 14 February 1990, six billion kilometres from the sun, NASA turned the Voyager’s camera around to take a series of pictures they called the ‘family portrait’ of our solar system. Among the many photographs, there was one that caught worldwide attention: a pale blue dot fortuitously illuminated in a beam of light. That pale blue dot was the earth. One publication gave the picture this description: ‘That’s here. That’s home. That’s us.’ 

The picture was intended to inspire, but in many places, it had an unintended consequence. That pale blue dot appeared so small, so isolated, so fragile, so alone in the darkness of space. Every life ever lived was on that vulnerable blue speck. Every great victory was won on that tiny dot. Every love affair; every masterpiece created; every song written; every tear; all laughter...had happened on that tiny blue dot spinning alone in the never-ending expanse of space. This train of thought opened the door to a particular kind of fear that has relentlessly continued to grow and torment humanity, especially young people. 

Imagine this... 

That all the pain we experience throughout our lives has no reason. Every invention and expression of creativity will come to nothing. Every success and victory is temporary and therefore hollow. All the suffering and all the joy in the world ultimately has no meaning. Every baby born, and every life lived, is finite, pointless and headed for oblivion. 

Now imagine this: One day in the future, that pale blue dot becomes uninhabitable either because of the ‘climate crisis,’ or because one day, our sun burns itself out. Imagine our world slowly falling silent, reduced to an empty rock that is inhabited only by the echoes and memories of a dead humanity. No one remembers the multitude of lives, families and nations that lived upon it. 

What a dark, depressing and catastrophic thing to ponder! And yet this is what has been inflicted on recent generations, with ever increasing intensity! 

The theory of evolution shouts, ‘Young person, you are not created or designed. You are simply a biological belch, a chance evolutionary accident. There is no real meaning to your life.’ It declares: ‘Out here, surrounded by the darkness and silence of space, WE ARE ALL ALONE!’ 

In more recent times, our world has become increasingly aware of climate change. We are told, ‘The earth is heating up and will become uninhabitable! Sea levels are rising, and coastal cities will be submerged. Because this is happening, your choices and freedom must be drastically reduced!’ 

What effect has all this had on the current generation? 

The suicide rate has increased. Young people are experiencing increased struggles with mental health. There is growing addiction, increasing self-harm and an ever-growing sense of pointlessness. Right when this generation needs to hear and be shaped by TRUTH, it is sold lies. Right when people need to be infused with HOPE, they are robbed of it. 

Now imagine this... 

Imagine that our existence is not the result of random chance. That rather than evolving, we were “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and that the One who made us designed, specifically and carefully, the days we live in (Psalm 139:14-16). 

Imagine that our lives are not pointless and heading for the endless darkness of obliterating death, but that we were made to know our Creator, and to be with Him forever. 

Imagine that we are not alone! That we are known, loved and held in the hands of an eternal, immeasurable, unlimited Father. That He sees each of us and knows us by name. That He knows the intimate details of our lives - even our secret thoughts and emotions. 

Imagine that our world is not falling apart. That humanity will not be eliminated by climate change. That our world won’t be flooded by rising sea levels, because our Creator, Father God, has made humanity a promise that is confirmed every time a rainbow appears in the sky. He says in Genesis, “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth...This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth” (Genesis 9:11-13). Of course, it is important for us to care for the world that God has given us! But conscientiousness around climate change does not have to lead us to despair. 

Finally, imagine one more thing... 

That this powerful, perfect, loving God knows all our sin, shame, mistakes and failures. He knows that we have violated His ways and His holiness, and that we deserve punishment. He knows that we owe a debt we could never pay, even if we tried for a thousand lifetimes. He knows that our sin leaves us defenceless against a merciless adversary, satan, and that we are powerless against his stealing, killing and destroying (John 10:10). 

But imagine that rather than abandoning us to the rightful consequences of our actions, He became a human being. He was born in a stable in Bethlehem. He grew, He lived, He spoke and He demonstrated redemption for all to see. He was falsely accused and convicted as a criminal. He was beaten, and crucified naked; not for His own crimes, but to pay the eternal penalty that was written against our names. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But three days later, just as the prophets had foretold, He rose again! And when He did, He defeated sin, the devil, and even death itself. He blazed a trail and now has set an open door before each of us. Because of Him, we have a choice that we never would have had any other way. 

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

Want to know something? You don’t have to merely IMAGINE, because this is real! The first half of this message is what the world has to offer. The second half is what Jesus has purchased for us. And the good news is, you don’t even have to take my word for it. 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34:8). 

All over the world, people are endlessly searching for meaning. Searching for an answer to the deep longing in their hearts. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). 

The Greek word that is translated into ‘Word’ is ‘logos’. This is where we get the word ‘logic,’ and the ‘ology’ in words like biology or psychology. In a very direct way, LOGOS means ‘THE REASON WHY.’ So, the passage can read something like this; “In the beginning was the reason why, and the reason why was with God and the reason why was God.” A few verses later, John wrote this: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). 

The ‘Reason Why’ is not abstract or impersonal. The ‘Reason Why’ is a man and His name is Jesus. Only by knowing Him can we know the purpose for our existence. Only in loving Him does life make sense. He is the answer to the longing of every human heart. He is the end of humanity’s search for meaning. 

This man and this message saved my life. 

Kristen Williams

Kristen Williams is an itinerant minister, church leader and equipper based in Tauranga.