Lunar Eclipse

I'm a bit ridiculous when it comes to sky events. I've been know to bundle up in a winter coat and blanket and lay in a lawn chair on my deck for the chance to watch a winter season meteor shower. I've set up a telescope in the corner of our living room to get a close up look at the moon's craters. I've gotten a stiff neck watching the twinkling brights on a clear night while standing in my back yard. So it's no surprise that this morning's lunar eclipse had me giddy with delight.

Our house sits in the woods, surrounded by towering sixty foot pines, so a clear view of the lower western sky is impossible. Because of this, my first view of this morning's phenomenon was in the rear view mirror of my car. Wow-ee! At each stop sign, I turned around to get a better look, and as I headed south on the highway, I hate to admit that my focus was not on the road. Rather, my neck craned to the right in an attempt to enjoy every minute of the changing moon. At one point, I actually pulled off into an industrial drive in an attempt to take photos with my phone.

Upon arriving at work,  I scoped the parking lot for the best possible photo opportunity. Unfortunately, a cell phone is not the ideal camera and my photos turned out poorly, with grainy, blurry shots. Even so, I found a fellow sky enthusiast already at work, and I grabbed her so we could enjoy the last part of the eclipse together.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes behind the Earth into its shadow. To visualize this, sit with your back to a lamp's bright light. Make a fist with your hand and move it from right to left in front of your body. As your fist (moon), body (Earth) and the lamp (Sun) are in perfect alignment, your fist will be in your body's shadow representing an eclipse. Pretty cool, huh?

The moon does not emit its own light; its hard, rocky surface reflects the sun's light. On its own, it has no light. Likewise, when the earth gets in the way of the sun, the moon cannot reflect the sun's light, hence, a lunar eclipse. Check out the photos below for a great visual of today's eclipse (photos courtesy of Louis Kraay):

As Christians, we're commissioned to reflect the light of Jesus. Just as the moon has no light of its own, we too, can only reflect the light of our "sun," Jesus, by standing in his light. When we are in right alignment with him, we shine his light brightly for all to see. But when we allow things to get in the way of Jesus, his light gets eclipsed.

People. Stuff. Money. Busyness. Distraction. All these "things" snuff out our Jesus light.

John 3:19-21 (The Message):
“This is the crisis we’re in: God-light streamed into the world, but men and women everywhere ran for the darkness. They went for the darkness because they were not really interested in pleasing God. Everyone who makes a practice of doing evil, addicted to denial and illusion, hates God-light and won’t come near it, fearing a painful exposure. But anyone working and living in truth and reality welcomes God-light so the work can be seen for the God-work it is.”

Dear Lord, thank you for streaming your God-light into my ordinary life. Today, dear Lord, help my rocky surface reflect your light. Help me to shine brightly for you. Amen and amen.