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| If you prefer, there is an easy to read and print READER version RIGHT HERE! |
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O
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Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my
downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all
my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou
knowest it altogether. 5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid
thine hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high,
I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither
shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art
there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even
there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I
say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about
me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as
the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13 For thou
hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I
will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy
works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid
from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts
of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and
in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:1-16)
I
pray readers of this devotion are devout Christian believers who share in the
blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion). I wonder if those of
sufficient longevity of years can remember where they were on the afternoon of
20 July of 1969. If you do remember, you may have been at work, at the golf
course, or simply lounging by the pool; or you may have been at a church
worship service to partake of the Lord’s Supper. But odds are certain that you
were not at the particular Communion Service that is the subject of this
devotion – on the Sea of Tranquility. Though the Thirty-Nine Articles do not
allow for ‘reserved Communion,’ I believe that the Holy Spirit would allow for
a ‘field expediency’ of the use of reserved Communion in this particular
case.
The
Sea of Tranquility is a quite lonely place unlike any comparable place on
earth. It is a place to which few people have had either the courage, or
ability, to travel. And the cost of a few hours, much less days, would be
prohibitive even if booking through Expedia.com! You see, the Sea of
Tranquility was, at the time of this Communion Service, 235,000 miles from
earth – on the Moon! It was the Christian Faith that opened man’s intellect to
the point that such a voyage was possible, and it follows in natural order that
a Christian Sacrament should be the first to be observed on the Lunar surface.
No other religious faith can claim such an honor! In fact, NASA tried to keep
the matter secret for decades. But now the issue has been made public, and we
can praise God for His great goodness and mercy in revealing the fact to us. We
need not replace our Cross of Christ on the Lord’s Table or the Church steeple
with a replica of the Moon; for it was the Cross that led us to the Moon by
God’s grant of wisdom and knowledge. Below is a recounting of the story:
On Sunday July 20, 1969 the first people landed on the moon. Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were in the lunar lander which touched down at 3:17
Eastern Standard Time (on the Sea of Tranquility of the Moon).
Buzz Aldrin had with him the Reserved Sacrament. He radioed: “Houston,
this is Eagle. This is the LM pilot speaking. I would like to request a few
moments of silence. I would like to invite each person listening in, whoever or
wherever he may be, to contemplate for a moment the events of the last few
hours, and to give thanks in his own individual way.
Later he wrote: “In the radio blackout, I opened the little
plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into
the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon, the
wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the
Scripture, ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. Whosoever abides in me will
bring forth much fruit.’ I had intended to read my communion passage back to
earth, but at the last minute Deke Slayton had requested that I not do this.
NASA was already embroiled in a legal battle with Madelyn Murray O’Hare, the
celebrated opponent of religion, over the Apollo 8 crew reading from Genesis
while orbiting the moon at Christmas. I agreed reluctantly…Eagle’s metal body
creaked. I ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine. I gave thanks for the
intelligence and Spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of
Tranquility. It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever
poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion
elements.
NASA kept this secret for two decades. The memoirs of Buzz Aldrin
and the Tom Hanks’s Emmy- winning HBO mini-series, From the Earth to
the Moon (1998), made people aware of this act of Christian worship 235,000
miles from Earth.
The liturgy for that Lunar Communion was an abbreviated text which
follows below:
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reator of the universe, your dominion extends through the immensity of
space: guide and guard those who seek to fathom its mysteries [especially
N.N.]. Save us from arrogance lest we forget that our achievements are grounded
in you, and, by the grace of your Holy Spirit, protect our travels beyond the
reaches of earth, that we may glory ever more in the wonder of your creation:
through Jesus Christ, your Word, by whom all things came to be, who with you
and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (http://liturgy.co.nz/first-communion-moon/1203)
The
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ –
imbues His people with wisdom and knowledge that the children of the world, and
of darkness, cannot comprehend. How blessed to know that our God has no void
space in His presence – even in the outer reaches of deep space – HE IS THERE!
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P
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raise ye the Lord. I will
praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the
upright, and in the congregation. 2 The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all
them that have pleasure therein. 3 His work is honourable and glorious: and his
righteousness endureth for ever. 4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered:
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. 5 He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful
of his covenant. 6 He hath shewed his people
the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the
heathen. 7 The works of his
hands are verity and judgment; all his
commandments are sure. 8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth
and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption unto his
people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and
reverend is his name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a
good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise
endureth for ever. (Psalm 111:1-10)
