I am writing this the morning after the partial eclipse of the moon, the spectacular “blood moon” that turns red and disappears as it passes into the earth’s shadow. I didn’t see it, largely because I think it happened early in the morning when I was asleep and in any case it was cloudy. However, many years ago I did seen a lunar eclipse and it was beautiful. A few weeks ago I did gaze out on the planetary procession, to see Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. I am not really into astronomy, but I enjoyed looking at the planets; even last night before I went to bed, I was struck by the red glow in the clouds around the moon when I could see it.
In times gone by, the doings of the stars and the planets were given supernatural significance; we see this in the Bible and it is still present in some form with horoscopes and astrology. Of course, science has given us a much deeper understanding of what is actually happening; the universe is ruled by the laws of physics. But my instinctive reaction to seeing the planets, or colours in the night sky, is awe; I am most deeply moved by the beauty of what I see. As a Christian, intellectually I believe that behind the laws of physics is God, who chooses to work through them. But more than that, I respond to that God with my emotions and that is the same response that I have to the night sky. The heavens can indeed tell of the glory of God when they speak to us of awe and beauty.
Rev David Poyner