We often use the word 'cosmos'
as a single name used
to identify the existence of all matter.
Every atom, asteroid, planet,
galaxy, and even space itself.
But, in addition to simply referring
to the existence of all space and matter,
the word cosmos is used because it describes
the observed order and design in nature.
The ancient Greeks as far back
as the 6th century BC
used their word for order--cosmos--to describe
what they observed in the world around them.
If ancient cultures prior to the
understanding of electricity, magnetism,
radiation, optics, subatomic interactions,
or even the equations of gravity
could make and conclude that order
and function existed, then how much more
should our generation appreciate the
functional complexity of the Universe?
You see, our universe does not exist as a
chaotic collection of space and matter.
Rather, the ordering of our cosmos can be
seen from the very fabric of space-time itself.
The physical laws that govern matter supply the
foundation of functionality that we observe.
From the beginning of time,
mankind has explored,
slowly constructed a detailed understanding
of the physical world so that we can
construct experiments, forecast expectations,
and successfully predict results.
But our mathematical expressions
and the formulas are merely descriptions
for how the laws naturally
operate on their own.
Our scientific investigations only reveal what
order and function the cosmos inherently has.
The functional laws of the universe exist,
whether we can describe them,
whether we can write them down,
or whether we even know about them at all.
Now when we observe nature, we're not
observing the physical laws themselves.
Rather, we observe the functionality of our cosmos
through the diversity of its complex structures.
Along with space itself,
matter fills the cosmos
forming a breathtaking array
of complex structures.
From subatomic particles
to spiral galaxies,
from the trillions of cells
that compose the human body,
to the seething plasmas that power the stars,
complex order is found at every cosmic scale.
Take for instance the simple
periodic table of the elements.
This singular chart is mankind's expression
of the orderly sequence of elements
that form the building blocks
of our material world.
Each element has a unique identity in its
nuclear structure and fundamental characteristics.
The periodic table uses both a periodicity
and related groupings to visualize
the comparisons and the contrasts
among all the elements.
For instance, the number of protons
in an atom--called the atomic number--
is a unique property for each element.
And it forms an increasing sequence
from left to right and from top to bottom.
The overall structure of the periodic table
includes horizontal rows called periods,
which are arranged to identify the highest
energy level of the element's outer electrons.
The vertical columns
are groups or families
and they help to identify elements
that have similar chemical properties.
In fact, the orderliness of our cosmos
is so well displayed in the periodic table
that when early scientists were developing
its structure from all the elements
that they knew at their time,
they found gaps in sequences
where obviously an element should exist.
These gaps in the ordered sequences
led to numerous discoveries of elements
which had not been known before.
Had these new elements always existed?
Absolutely. But until we identified the ordered
structuring of matter, we could not
correctly identify and describe the elements.
The periodic table has elements
that are the building blocks for the
host of complex structures in our cosmos.
Yet these complex structures in turn
are participants in an equally
inspiring set of complex interactions
where cosmic laws exert their influence
through the forces of nature.
Here is where the complex nature of the cosmos
has both confounded and astounded humanity.
As much as we would like it,
the physical laws do not obey human whims.
We're subject to their processes
and governed by their operation.
No matter what branch of scientific study,
what scale of experiment,
or what object of observation,
the complex matter being observed
is influenced by a host
of physical laws and principles .
So in our scientific experiments,
while we struggle in confining the matter
or painstakingly restricting its contamination
and seeking to establish boundary conditions,
we must acknowledge that without
the regular and ordered functionality
of the laws of our cosmos,
the complexity we see would merely be chaos.
No scientific understanding could be obtained,
let alone even initiated,
if the regular repeatable and restricting laws
were not present and functioning.
If the origin of matter and energy--
let alone the construction of complex structures--
cannot emanate from
the matter or energy itself
and if humanity doesn't control it--
let alone establish the cosmic law--
What does the presence of both law and matter,
function and complexity demand?
The evidence leads to an intelligent Creator
of such power and magnificence
that the beauty of the cosmos
in all its order and function
pale in comparison to Him.
