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Wonder

Recently I returned to Martin Marty, a scholar and public commentator whose work I have admired for literally all my adult life.  Marty is one of those timeless people who seemingly has never changed looks or demeanor in all the years I have known him.  On the other hand, his thinking and work is ever fresh.  He was born in 1928 and is still going strong.  I happened on a short reflection Marty offered on the ideas of hope and wonder.  Let me share some of these, along with my commentary.

Marty opens the reflective piece with this sentence.  “Alongside ‘hope’ let’s place its kin, ‘wonder,’ both of which are needed in the fact of the dulling realism that colors so much of existence today.”  To put hope and wonder together is an interesting idea.  Clearly, they are not the same thing.  I was intrigued how Marty and the folks he quotes are going to develop the idea.  One of the people Marty turns to is the historian and professor of religious studies, Robert Fuller.  Fuller begins with a good look at wonder.  He says, “The most salient feature of wonder is its evocation of the existence of ‘something more,’ some ultimate presence of causal agency that might account for otherwise inexplicable phenomena.”

Let’s take a closer look at what Fuller says about wonder.  First he describes the most important element of wonder.  It is an evocation of ‘something more.’  To evoke something is to call it forth.  Evoking is a summoning.  I like his description of wonder as something that calls forth.  This makes wonder an active word.  I also like the fact that wonder can be both a verb and a noun.  It is a both word of activity and a result of activity.

Wonder evokes the existence of ‘something more.’  That means wonder reveals things that are there all along, but some folks don’t see it.  We can think about a trip to the ocean beach or high in the mountains.  The splendor of nature is already there, but unless we have eyes to see, the splendor is not seen.  If we allow ourselves to have that sense of wonder, then the ‘something more’ is revealed.  Wonder uncovers the splendor that is there all along.

Fuller develops his thoughts.  Wonder also reveals some ultimate presence.  This strikes me as an anticipation of God or the Spirit who is responsible for the creation of the whole universe.  I reach this conclusion when I pay attention to Fuller’s words.  He says wonder reveals the ultimate presence of causal agency.  This is a sophisticated way to talk about creativity.  An agent or agency suggests cause.  Think about yourself.  We are all causal agents.  We live and work to do things and to make things.  That is how I understand who God is and what God does.  God is a causal agent.

Fuller gets specific.  The causal agent accounts for otherwise inexplicable phenomena.  Again, this sounds pretty complex.  A phenomenon is something that not only exists, but appears to those who are able to see.  Fuller thinks that wonder uncovers the causal agent that helps us explain the inexplicable phenomena.  If you can say you don’t think there are any inexplicable phenomena, I would be amazed.  That would mean you could explain everything.  I surely can’t.  

I think there are many things in our world that I cannot explain.  In some cases, I can’t explain it because I am not sufficiently educated.  If I had a better science background, I could explain more.  But even the brilliant scientist cannot explain everything.  Even for that person, there are some things that leave him or her to wonder.  

I am confident wonder is tied closely to mystery.  The way I understand it, a mystery can exist, although we may not be able to explain it.  Mystery is a good way to appreciate what inexplicable phenomena are.  This kind of wonder can be described with language that borders on the spiritual.  Listen to how Fuller describes it.  “Wonder is thus accompanied by joy and by feeling of expansiveness.  Our lives seem to open up to new possibilities.  Experiences of wonder open up the realm of possibility, making us feel continuous with the sources of beauty, order, and vitality unexpected in a purely rational approach to life.  All of this makes for experiences of ‘immediate luminousness.’” 

This is significant deep language to talk about the kinds of experiences that I would like to have.  I call them spiritual experiences.  When I read Fuller’s words, they are good words to describe how I often experience God.  Joy and expansiveness do fit my sense of being in the presence of God.  I am bigger and better than my normal self.  I am more loving and caring when I am in this place.  With God new possibilities emerge in life.  I see more, am more capable am more eager for life itself.

Who does not want to feel continuous with beauty, order and vitality.  Wonder engages, enables, enlivens and generally makes me a better human being than I otherwise would be.  I could sum it up this way: no wonder…not much of life.  Add wonder to your life and get a vibrant life!

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