Beginning in the clouds

In his book Nature’s Numbers, mathematician Ian Stewart is inspired by patterns. Not just numerical and geometric patterns, but also those “that we have only just learned to recognize—patterns that exist where we thought everything was random and formless.” His primary example is clouds. Yes, it’s true that meteorologists distinguish between cirrus, stratus, cumulus, and other types, but…

You do not see spherical clouds, or cubical clouds, or icosahedral clouds. Clouds are wispy, formless, fuzzy clumps. Yet there is a very distinctive pattern to clouds, a kind of symmetry… Basically, it’s this: you can’t tell what size a cloud is by looking at it. If you look at an elephant, you can tell roughly how big it is: an elephant the size of a house would collapse under its own weight, and one the size of a mouse would have legs that are uselessly thick. Clouds are not like this at all. A large cloud seen from far away and a small cloud seen up close could equally plausibly have been the other way around. They will be different in shape, of course, but not in any manner that systematically depends on size.

I was on my way back to Manhattan on an airplane when I read these words, and looked out the window to take this picture. Of course, I’ve always been delighted by looking down on clouds. I’ve never known how far away they were. But knowing I didn’t know was a new experience. Now, hurtling through the air above the clouds inspired not just heady awe and pride at the accomplishments of my species, but also puzzled awe and humility at the limits of our perception and knowledge.

It is in that spirit that I begin this new year of ministry with you. In almost 5 years together, coherence is emerging out of what once seemed wispy, formless, and fuzzy. I’m grateful for all the ways you’ve allowed me to understand the deeper meaning of your lives. None of us is perfectly spherical, cubical clouds, or icosahedral (whatever that is!) but we each embody a brilliant and mysterious symmetry, revealed in relationship. Together, we make patterns of meaning that could never have happened with any other group, at any other time or place. Just as a cloud’s size is unknown from a distance, the true nature of our community can’t be understood fully from afar. We’ve got to put up our tray tables and seat backs and plunge into the unknown.