We as human beings since the beginning of our time on earth have loved looking up at the stars and imagining what it must be like to reach those distant heavens. Those who have traveled outside of the earth’s orbit have had the opportunity to star gaze in a very different fashion. Unlike the fascinating, familiar feeling we all get when viewing the heavenly constellations that we see from our earthly habitat, astronauts have unanimously experienced a stunning, somewhat eerie phenomenon as they viewed planet earth from the vastness of space. Frank White calls their life-changing experience “the overview effect.”
The “overview effect” is a kind of cognitive shift, a mind-blowing shift in our perspective about ourselves, our place in the universe, our relationships with others, and the entirety of life. Most have characterized the effect as an extreme state of shock, awe, and an overwhelming emotion so powerful that it caused significant and permanent changes in the observer’s self-concept, value system, and religious awareness for the rest of their lives. This “seismic” shift in emotional and spiritual comprehension completely transformed the viewers and their concepts of humankind, as well as their take on the realm of the infinite.
What caused this monumental shift? An unanticipated change in total perspective, in this case, viewing the earth from the distance of space.
The author who coined the term, “the overview effect,” did so after interviewing astronauts throughout the years, who described the “overview effect” experience as indescribable, “beyond words.” Astronaut Ron Garan said when viewing the earth from space:
It really does look like this really beautiful oasis out in the middle of nothingness….it’s this oasis against the backdrop of infinity –this enormous universe behind it.
Astronaut Edgar Mitchell added:
There was a startling recognition that the nature of the universe was not as I had been taught…I not only saw the connectedness. I felt it…I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally extending out into the cosmos.
Likewise, William Shatner when given the opportunity to view the earth from space, told the world that the trip had reinforced his connection to Earth and his view of the “power of our beautiful, mysterious collective human entanglement.”
Those interviewed noted that the experience of stepping outside of their own worldview led not just to a change in imagery but an unexpected feeling of gratitude and oneness, an emotional surge of compassion for everything and everyone, a transformative awareness of our unique human connection. Those who experienced the “overview effect” underwent significant emotional and spiritual transformation. No longer did they see the world in terms of dissension, of cultural differences, nations of origin, or differences in social identity. Instead, the world took on a larger, more comprehensive meaning as an interconnected, organic system of life, a cherished gift, an uncharacteristic glimpse of beauty and brightness within an infinity of nothingness.
Kind of like a “kingdom of heaven,” isn’t it? A perspective in which compassion is the medium of exchange and a common humanity is a given and not an exception. This kind of extreme shift is not unlike the kinds of spiritual “conversions” reported from those who experienced intimate, powerful, and personal encounters with God.
As an astronaut, we can appreciate how precious and tiny as our planet appears suspended in the inky darkness of that silent void of space. As vast as the universe looks in its infinite horizon, we realize in this dichotomy the extraordinary and transcendent nature of God, creator of this profound universe. And we can begin to grasp the miracle that our lives represent on this singular planet in the midst of nothingness. What a solitary, beautiful gift from God we all are!
Just imagining this kind of image fills us with awe, doesn’t it? But we can experience this same kind of feeling in other ways as well. In fact, the “overview effect” has not been limited to astronauts. Those engaged in meditation and prayer, contemplating the transcendent nature of the divine, have reported similar emotional and spiritual transformations, as though for a moment their minds touched the mind of the God in a way that caused what we might call a “mountaintop experience,” a kind of ecstatic encounter that left us assured that in the vastness of the universe, we are not alone, that God lovingly created humankind and that this one-of-a-kind, exquisite world and everyone in it is overwhelmingly beautiful.
We as human beings have appreciated this realization from the beginning of time. Throughout the scriptures, we read reports of those who experienced a “little stroke of heaven,” a “God kind of encounter.” From Moses’ gleaming face coming down from a mountain to Jacob’s “stairway to heaven,” to Ezekiel’s visions, to Paul’s encounter with Jesus and a light so bright and powerful that it knocked him clear off of his horse, somehow that kind of brilliant, white light signals to us a God moment so intense that our minds have difficulty making sense of it. Kind of like the earth gleaming brightly within that vast blackness of space.
These are “mountaintop moments,” times of mind-shock when reality pauses and God breaks through to us with such energy, power, and unexpected glory as to convince us, despite all sensibility, that God is real. That what we think we know can’t even touch the vastness of the mind of God.
And suddenly, we believe, on a full-scale, full-body level. Everybody needs an occasional Godstruck moment in order to remind us of the super-natural mystery of God that goes far beyond our everyday world. Everybody needs to be reminded that our faith can take us far beyond any concept of truth that we know within the constructs of our everyday life. Knowledge convinces of fact. But faith leads to truth and assurance.
If you think about it, we, as human beings, live in a kind of constructed environment here on earth. Our very ability to make meaning, the ability of our brains to function and to make sense of the world around us and our place within it depends upon our ability to construct a “reality” that works for us. We live by our senses. We understand through what our brains absorb and categorize according to those sensory stimuli. This is the human experience. It’s normal and part of being human.
But we humans are also gifted with the unique ability to imagine the infinite and to understand our own limitations. In other words, we understand how to grasp how much we do not know. We are willing to embrace that much of life consists of mysteries that we cannot begin to fathom or understand with the resources we have. Scientists, especially physicists, know this better than anyone. This ability to “trust” an existence, a truth, that lies beyond our comprehension requires faith. Humans, despite our great propensity for grounded facts, have a great capacity for faith.
The beauty of God’s human creation is our ability to be in intimate and loving relationship with a God whom we cannot see but can only imagine exists outside of our human understanding. Embracing the mystery of God allows us a kind of “overview effect” that can transform us in astounding ways, ways that have the potential to bond us as human beings in a truly alternative way, potential to make us humble, as we realize how dependent we are on the God who holds our universe together. Such is the mystery and beauty of faith. And Jesus knew this to be true.
In our scripture for today, we see Jesus’ disciples confronted and overwhelmed by just that kind of “overview effect,” a mountaintop moment that would re-define who Jesus is and his role in the world. The disciples are flabbergasted. Speechless. They don’t know what to make of it.
Operating from out of their capacity and understanding, the disciples react accordingly. In the spirit of their Jewish tradition –they want to build “sukkot.” A “sukkah” (plural “sukkot”) is a tent-like enclosure meant for communing with God. In the Jewish tradition, during the festival of harvest, the people were commanded to build “sukkot,” and to dwell in them for the duration of the festival (7 days). The tent-like enclosures were to have three sides with the “roof” open to see the stars and appreciate the beauty of the created world, as well as experiencing the infinite world beyond. In a sense, the sukkah, along with a meditative mind, would create for the dweller a kind of “overview effect.” The sukkah symbolized the fragility and transience of life and one’s dependence upon God for life and sustenance.
The word we use for a sukkah is a “tabernacle.” The booth reminds us that God, though transcendent, “tabernacles” among us, and that the Holy Spirit surrounds us with God’s power and presence. Spiritual connection and mindfulness toward the God who cares for us and grants us life within the transience of the world allows us a kind of meditative “mountaintop experience.”
Jesus’ disciples soon realize (and were instructed by God’s voice) the Godsmack of who Jesus is! Shrouded in a “cloud” of brilliant light, the disciples emerged from that experience not only changed but ready for a very different kind of mission in the world than they ever could have imagined. That mountaintop experience would be only the first of many unusual and miraculous phenomena that they would encounter as they traveled along with Jesus as his disciples and trainees.
And yet, despite all of this, it would take them until after the resurrection to truly understand what they had experienced that day of Jesus’ transfiguration. Because encountering God is always a mind-blowing, overwhelming, and indescribable experience, an overview effect that entirely transforms us, but which we have no words to explain.
For us, prayer, meditation, holy communion, worship, and other kinds of spiritual encounters with God can create in us an “overview effect.” Our spiritual disciplines can help propel us far beyond our comprehension and beyond the boundaries of our capacity to make sense of our world. John Wesley called those vehicles “means of grace.” What he meant was that during those times of prayer, meditation, worship, or holy communion, through faith, we have the ability to connect with God on a relational level in a spirit-driven, intuitive kind of way that offers us a total mind-shifting experience, an encounter with God’s grace that has the ability to transform us from the inside out and make us more compassionate, loving, and humble disciples.
Following Jesus is not simply an intellectual, rational path. We can spend time learning about Jesus and his life and teaching. We can appreciate his acumen, his stories, his sacrificial gift. But until we allow Jesus into our hearts in a transformative kind of way, we will not experience the kind of transformative shift in our perspective that will serve as a life-altering, and world-changing moment.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism understood this better than anyone. John had been a social advocate, a sincere loyalist to God, a disciplined disciple, and an Oxford professor of theology. But until his encounter at Aldersgate in which his “heart was warmed” and his spirit touched by God in an unusually emotional and spiritual way, his faith remained an intellectual endeavor. Only after his “spiritual awakening” did his entire spirit change and the movement called Methodism take off.
We love a good adrenaline rush. We cherish those lovely feel-good hormones we get from running a marathon or falling in love. But these are nothing compared to a true, life-changing God encounter with our divine creator.
Today, I invite you to step outside of your comfort zone and to open your heart and mind in a new way, to pray with a truly receptive heart, and to engage in whatever “means of grace” will connect you with God in an intimate, powerful, transcendent way. Then ask God to move you and change you as God will. Prayer is more powerful than you think. To pray that prayer takes courage. To step outside of everything you know and accept to be true requires extreme gumption. But I guarantee, if you allow it, God will transform your life, your perspective, and your world. And you, and the world, will never be the same.