There was much to love about Monday’s Solar Eclipse, even if it didn’t darken in the way I thought it would considering we live in an area that experienced 85% totality. But to think with only a sliver of the sun showing and it was still daylight just under a dusk-like haze shows how bright our sun really is!
Even more fascinating to me than the sliver of Sun and the crescent-shaped shadows it created was the fact that for a few hours something bigger than ourselves dominated most of America. With eyes drawn up, instead of inward, we actually stopped thinking about our selves for a bit! And this freed us to unite over a common experience instead of zeroing in on our differences usually more fragmenting than the rays of the sun.
Wasn’t that nice for a time?
After sharing my solar eclipse glasses with strangers and engaging in conversations about it with everyone from the grocery story cashier, to the utility worker at the park where we were watching to my friend next door, it made me long for more days of less hurry and more presence with the people around me.
It felt joyous. But it’s no wonder; we were created to revolve our lives around each other, not our selves! So when we experience this it should be joyous.
In creation, God gives us a visual pattern to follow in the way the sun, the moon and the earth orbit around each other. The sun gives its light to earth and the moon reflects it’s light from the sun and the earth produces life from the light. Each eternally connected and necessary. As is the Father to the Son and his Spirit, each godhead serving, reflecting, pointing to the other in what reknown pastor Tim Keller refers to as a Divine Dance. We were made to orbit around each other for one another’s good, and to the glory of God.
So we feel the way we do about everything going on in our country and in our world because it is not how it was supposed to be. And while large-scale or global change is beyond our ultimate control, instead of pointing fingers and focusing on what’s wrong, why don’t we look inward to see how we can effect change in our own circles? Where can we be light and life-giving to those around us? How can we revolve our days to be more reflective of who God created us to be?
After all, one day all the trivial ways we spend our time won’t matter. On that day what the eclipse only points to, the true Son will descend again to earth and the whole world will stop for good. Scripture tells us every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus to be Lord of all (Phil. 2:10)! This is amazing, but also a frightening wake up call because only those who have known him to be Lord will spend eternity in his light.
Therefore, Christians, may we be light and life to a broken, brusied world whose only hope for repair is to be made new in Christ. He came the first time to make a way to unite a people to himself, not just one tribe, but every tribe. Let’s find that our commonality in Christ is more sure than our different races, ages, life stages, places of residence, vocations, hobbies and so forth. And since this is true, let’s slow down to see how we can be the hands and feet of Christ to a watching world who needs to know the love of the Father.
Soli Deo Gloria ~ Glory to God alone!
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