One of my very first memories is being awakened by my parents at the age of five to witness history. Neil Armstrong was about take one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. All I remember seeing was a grey blob.
But from then on, I was an avid follower of the Apollo program, faithfully watching the TV coverage and drinking my Tang, so I could be an astronaut one day. While it turns out I didn’t have the right stuff to fulfill that dream, I still devour the coverage of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.
Along the way, I ran across a fascinating book: Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man’s First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson. It is the mission that gave Apollo 11 the ability to fulfill President Kennedy’s promise to land a man on the moon in the decade.
I appreciate one particular event of the Apollo 8 mission. On Christmas Eve, 1968, during a special TV broadcast at lunar sunrise, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman read the creation account from Genesis 1:1-10. That, for me, captures my wonder of space, God’s creative abilities, and my small place in the universe. I echo the sentiment of the Psalmist:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3-4
Take time today to praise God for his wonderful creation (including you!) Chaplain Dwight
