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DECEMBER 14 9 Visitation of Infinite Love, Mercy, and Grace "How great is God—beyond our understanding! The number of his year is past finding out." —Job 36:26 M usings on eternity have occupied my mind of late. Perhaps this is due to graduate studies in mathematics or because I'm getting closer to eternity. Last year's Advent devotional reflected on the multitude of stars in the universe and asked the question, Why should God at Advent have concerned himself with human specks of dust on planet earth? (Psalm 8:3-4). Scanning the heavens through the Hubbel Space Telescope, astronomers estimate the diameter of the universe to be 93 billion light years containing 100 billion galaxies and trillions of stars. A new and more powerful telescope is certain to reveal a universe far more immense. While secular scientists generally judge that the universe is finite, Christians believe that the universe may well be infinite—still expanding from the original Big Bang—consistent with the biblical creation account. How might our finite minds possibly contemplate a Creator and a cosmos that are infinite? Some imagine a string wrapped around our planet with a tiny knot tied in it somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Historical time is represented by the knot, whereas infinity is portrayed by the 25,000 miles of string wrapped around earth's circumference. This, of course, is a limiting illustration of what is in reality. Christian faith rests securely on the actuality of an infinite Creator who—not surprisingly—has created an infinite universe. The qualities of the infinite God are likewise infinite in nature, meaning that God is infinite—knowing no bounds—in knowledge, wisdom, and power. It also means that God is infinite in His love, mercy, and grace. The mind-boggling truth of Advent is that this infinitely loving, merciful, and gracious God has visited us finite creatures with the redemptive touch of infinity bound up in His Son, Immanuel—God with us. Again, our finite minds can hardly comprehend infinite love, infinite mercy, and infinite grace. But divine favor has enabled us to enter into these blessed realities by opening our hearts to God's gift wrapped up in the person of His Son, Jesus, who visited us at Advent. How breathtaking that is! How fitting, then, that the heavenly host proclaimed to the startled shepherds, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14). Bruce Demarest, PhD Senior Professor of Christian Formation