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| Announcement from the CMS project of CERN, September 2010. At that point, what the project could announce was greater clarity about the sort of evidence that would be needed to verify that they had discovered something like the Higgs boson as predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics . The slide says it, in French: "The presence or absence of an energy peak when 4 leptons pop into existence" (Groups of 4 leptons are an observable decay product of a Higgs-like boson). Photo by PhOtOnQuAnTiQuE, used by permission under a Creative Commons LIcense. |
Companions,
I freely admit I'm a science geek.
I set an alarm to wake me a little before 3 A.M. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 4 to watch the live webcast of the seminar and press release from CERN announcing the discovery of a new boson and the extensive work done to verify that discovery, in two parallel projects, to a significance of 5-sigma (i.e., the statistical certainty that what was discovered is a new boson and not something else is now at least at 99.99999%).
It's still not certain that what has been found is the Higgs boson exactly as the current Standard Model of particle physics predicts it. More tests will be done and much more data analyzed over the next several months to determine more of the properties of this newly discovered particle. Some of them may fit what the Standard Model predicts, and others may not. Results of this further collection and analysis of data may result in alterations in understanding what this boson is or in the Standard Model itself.
What is certain, a certainty ratified by every scientist who spoke at the seminar and the press conference, is that getting to this "preliminary result" was the outcome of much tireless work for years, and even more work with little sleep or downtime in the past two months, by thousands of persons, both employees at CERN and, especially, collaborators in the same and complementary fields worldwide. For now, there is reason to pause just a bit to celebrate what is the without question the most significant discovery in experimental particle physics in the past 50 years.
Let me suggest that what we have witnessed in this historic announcement is the outcome of disciples of physics collaborating worldwide to live out their discipleship and deliver on a common mission. They allowed no barriers of culture, language or time zone to get in their way. Each performed her or his part of the effort with efficiency and excellence, never stopping until the work was done.
And their outcome-- the discovery of this new and apparently Higgs-like boson-- is manifest to the world.
So, what about us?
As Christians, we are disciples of Jesus charged with making the kingdom of God manifest to the world. As Wesleyan Christians, we further understand our role to be one of announcing and being living witnesses of God's desire to save us, and save us to the uttermost-- to bring us to nothing less than entire holiness, to perfection in love in this life. As United Methodists, we speak of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Where are there examples of ways we are clearly serious, on a global basis, about making the kingdom of God manifest to the world?
Where in our local areas are we announcing and being living witnesses of God's desire and capacity to bring persons to perfection in love in this life?
Where do we have the clearest focus on what it means to disciple people in the way of Jesus?
What specific indicators have we identified that can tell us-- and help the world to see, with great certainty-- that the world is being transformed through Christ and his people called church?
Where are we engaged in something like the level of committed collaboration we can see in the CERN projects?
Probably, all of us can come up with negative answers for these questions.
I'm asking the questions positively. Where are the bright spots we can build on? And then how might we go about connecting these bright spots into a global network through which the Light of the World may more brightly shine?
Peace in Christ,
I freely admit I'm a science geek.
I set an alarm to wake me a little before 3 A.M. (EDT) on Wednesday, July 4 to watch the live webcast of the seminar and press release from CERN announcing the discovery of a new boson and the extensive work done to verify that discovery, in two parallel projects, to a significance of 5-sigma (i.e., the statistical certainty that what was discovered is a new boson and not something else is now at least at 99.99999%).
It's still not certain that what has been found is the Higgs boson exactly as the current Standard Model of particle physics predicts it. More tests will be done and much more data analyzed over the next several months to determine more of the properties of this newly discovered particle. Some of them may fit what the Standard Model predicts, and others may not. Results of this further collection and analysis of data may result in alterations in understanding what this boson is or in the Standard Model itself.
What is certain, a certainty ratified by every scientist who spoke at the seminar and the press conference, is that getting to this "preliminary result" was the outcome of much tireless work for years, and even more work with little sleep or downtime in the past two months, by thousands of persons, both employees at CERN and, especially, collaborators in the same and complementary fields worldwide. For now, there is reason to pause just a bit to celebrate what is the without question the most significant discovery in experimental particle physics in the past 50 years.
Let me suggest that what we have witnessed in this historic announcement is the outcome of disciples of physics collaborating worldwide to live out their discipleship and deliver on a common mission. They allowed no barriers of culture, language or time zone to get in their way. Each performed her or his part of the effort with efficiency and excellence, never stopping until the work was done.
And their outcome-- the discovery of this new and apparently Higgs-like boson-- is manifest to the world.
So, what about us?
As Christians, we are disciples of Jesus charged with making the kingdom of God manifest to the world. As Wesleyan Christians, we further understand our role to be one of announcing and being living witnesses of God's desire to save us, and save us to the uttermost-- to bring us to nothing less than entire holiness, to perfection in love in this life. As United Methodists, we speak of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Where are there examples of ways we are clearly serious, on a global basis, about making the kingdom of God manifest to the world?
Where in our local areas are we announcing and being living witnesses of God's desire and capacity to bring persons to perfection in love in this life?
Where do we have the clearest focus on what it means to disciple people in the way of Jesus?
What specific indicators have we identified that can tell us-- and help the world to see, with great certainty-- that the world is being transformed through Christ and his people called church?
Where are we engaged in something like the level of committed collaboration we can see in the CERN projects?
Probably, all of us can come up with negative answers for these questions.
I'm asking the questions positively. Where are the bright spots we can build on? And then how might we go about connecting these bright spots into a global network through which the Light of the World may more brightly shine?
Peace in Christ,
3 comments:
I'll try to make some answer to your questions (cuz I like 'em and all my answers aren't negative):
Where are there examples of ways we are clearly serious, on a global basis, about making the kingdom of God manifest to the world?
My experience with this is mainly in the local church. Seana does it in her daily work. I see Barb do it around her table. I see Andy do it on Facebook. (it, of course, is make the kingdom of God manifest in the world) And I see McKeith do it in his school. But I could go on and on. I assume I'm not alone in this.
Where in our local areas are we announcing and being living witnesses of God's desire and capacity to bring persons to perfection in love in this life?
Ah...I really love this question and the challenge it provides. We hire young people in our parish every summer to go meet their neighbors, observe and name their gifts, lay hands on them and bless them, and then connect them to others who care about the same thing. But I'm challenged to think about how we can do this more. I asked a friend who sits on the local development corporation if she would make time for a couple of the young people to introduce two of the neighbors they have met at the beginning of the next development corporation meeting. They will do that this month. We're trying to figure out where are the other places this can happen. And we have realized that being intentional about this means developing a set of practices that we have to come up with on our own (we're not complaining - just noticing). We've invited adults to join young people at meals to name for the young people the gift of the Holy Spirit they see in that young person's life. That seems to be a small, more private way. Thanks for asking this question.
Where do we have the clearest focus on what it means to disciple people in the way of Jesus?
"We" at Broadway have the clearest focus around the issue that to disciple people in the way of Jesus means to take very seriously, completely seriously, that he has brought good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom to the captives (among other things). That because of Jesus the lame leap for joy and the deaf hear. So discipling people in the way of Jesus means for us to continue to recognize and celebrate that - and continue to sharpen ("as iron sharpens iron") our witness to the presence and power of God's realm all around us.
What specific indicators have we identified that can tell us-- and help the world to see, with great certainty-- that the world is being transformed through Christ and his people called church?
I don't know that the world is being transformed through his people called church. I think that Jesus has done that work. I think that our responsibility is simply to bear witness to that work that he has done and we cannot undo. We can pretend that it's not true. We can do all sorts of stupid things. It doesn't change the fact that Jesus has transformed the world. Suddenly and forever. The specific indicators are all around us. Gene reminds me every day that the blind see. Seana reminds me through her work that the poor have good news. Daryl reminds me that the lame leap for joy. And so on. The indicators are what they have always been. As captured by Jesus' words to John's disciples in Matthew 11: "Go tell John what you have seen - the blind see....etc..."
Where are we engaged in something like the level of committed collaboration we can see in the CERN projects?
I see it in the people of our parish, who across lines of ethnicity, class, sexuality, and faith we bear witness to all that God has done and is doing in the work that has transformed the world.
Thanks for giving us the chance to think about these things Taylor.
Great stuff, Taylor! I had fun riffing on this over at my Missional Shift blog (I hope you don't mind): http://www.patheos.com/blogs/missionalshift/2012/07/missional-like-a-boson-or-physicsleship-what-can-we-learn-from-the-higgs-discovery/
Thanks for the "riffs," Steve!
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