The Cross in Every Cell:

How Christ Holds All Things Together

Have you ever heard of laminin? Now, before your eyes glaze over thinking I'm about to give you a biology lecture, stay with me. Laminin isn't the latest coffee trend at Starbucks, and it's not a new worship song—though "Laminin, You Hold Me Together" does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?  Laminin is a protein. A tiny, microscopic molecule that exists in every single cell of your body. As you're sitting there reading this, as your heart is beating and your lungs are breathing, laminin is working. It's been called the "glue" of the human body, the structural foundation that literally holds your cells together. Without laminin, your body would fall apart. You'd be, well, a puddle on the floor. Sorry for that mental image. 

When scientists look at laminin under an electron microscope and see its molecular structure, laminin is shaped like a cross. A perfect, unmistakable cross. The very molecule that holds your physical body together bears the image of the One who holds all creation together.  Now, some of you are thinking, "Pastor Doug, that's just a coincidence." But I don't believe in coincidences when it comes to God's design. I believe in divine signatures. I believe in a Creator who leaves His fingerprints on everything He makes. The cross isn't just a historical event or a religious symbol—it's woven into the very fabric of reality itself.

In Colossians 1:17 Paul writes "And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist."  Jesus isn't just old—He's eternal. He existed before time began. Before the first star ignited, before the first atom formed, before anything was anything, Jesus was. Paul says in Him all things consist." That word "consist" in the Greek is "sunistemi." It means to hold together, to cohere, to maintain structure and order. It's a present, active, continuous verb. Jesus isn't just the One who created everything and then walked away like a cosmic watchmaker. He is actively, right now, at this very moment, holding everything together. 

Think about what that means. The atoms in your body—held together by Christ. The planets in their orbits—held together by Christ. The laws of physics that govern our universe—held together by Christ. The very fabric of space and time—held together by Christ. He is the sustaining force of all creations.  Paul is declaring a cosmic truth that Jesus is the glue of the universe. And isn't it just like God, in His infinite creativity and perhaps with a holy sense of humor, to stamp that truth into our biology? He made the literal glue of our bodies—laminin—in the shape of a cross, as if to say, "I want you to see it. I want you to know it. I want you to never forget that I'm holding this together."

Every breath you take right now—laminin is holding the cells of your lungs together. Every heartbeat—laminin is maintaining the structure of your heart tissue. Every thought you think—laminin is part of the architecture of your brain. You are literally held together, at the cellular level, by cross-shaped proteins.  Now, some skeptics might say, "Well, lots of proteins have complex shapes. This is just pattern recognition—seeing what you want to see." But I would ask them: in a universe supposedly governed by random chance and blind evolution, what are the odds that the one protein responsible for holding our bodies together would be shaped like the very symbol of our faith? What are the odds that the molecular glue of human life would bear the image of the One who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"?  I believe God is speaking through His creation.

The same power that holds galaxies in their courses holds you in His hand. The same wisdom that designed laminin to hold your cells together has designed grace to hold your life together. The same love that stretched out on a cross two thousand years ago is stretched out over your life right now, holding you, keeping you, sustaining you.

Remember His presence in the details. God is not distant. He's not detached. He's not too busy running the universe to care about your problems. He's intimately involved in every microscopic detail of your life. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He knows the number of cells in your body. He knows the number of tears you've cried and the number of prayers you've prayed. And He's holding it all together. 

I love what Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31: "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows."