Grace in Space

The observance of Easter and the events surrounding it give Christians an opportunity to not only reflect on what our Savior experienced for us, but to share it with the world. Realizing we possess the power of the Holy Spirit, we can depend on the Lord to display His glory and truth to His people as we testify to His greatness and love.  In Psalm 40 (ESV), we can read these words:
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
    in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
    your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance
    in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
    as you know, O Lord.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
    I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
    from the great congregation.

The amazing feats of the Artemis mission into space has provided a greater awareness of what lies beyond earth and the vastness of the universe that God has created.  And, the pilot of the Artemis 2 Orion capsule Victor Glover was recently asked by a news reporter to share comments relative to Easter.  Glover, a committed Christian, responded, according to Space.com:

"In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together," he said of Earth. "I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we've gotta get through this together." 

The article hearkened back to a spiritual moment in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, noting that: "As they circled the moon on Dec. 24, 1968, the three Apollo 8 astronauts read the first 10 verses of the Book of Genesis during a live TV broadcast that reached an estimated 25% of Earth's population."

And, as WORLD Magazine reported: "American astronaut Victor Glover on Monday evening spoke of Jesus’ love in a message broadcast to Earth just before the Orion spacecraft passed behind the moon. While the astronauts were working to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, one of the greatest mysteries on Earth was love, he said. Jesus said that the greatest command was to love God, and the second was to love your neighbor as yourself, Glover said."

The Easter message and his declaration on Monday night were not just one-offs, but indicative of a pattern of Glover sharing his faith in Christ in the midst of his work with NASA.  

In tribute to the Artemis mission, I've posted a short video online of comments by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who spoke with me recently about his love for the Lord and his trust in Him during a challenging space mission.

The impact of the Scriptures being shared from space can certainly help us to think about the One who created it all.  As former ABC News Science editor Michael Guillen related in a conversation recently centered around the release of his film, The Invisible Everywhere, there is much that is invisible to us that actually speaks to the reality of God. And, as Guillen shared, "believing is seeing."

So, we can learn so much through space exploration, unlocking the secrets of science and pondering the greatness of the God who has made it all.  And, we can regard science as the study of what God has created.  When we think about the nature of and beauty of creation, including its order and design, and the laws that cause it to work, we can give glory to our Lord, who holds it all together.  

And, He can hold it all together for us; Hebrews 1 states, referring to Jesus: "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power."  We can recognize the One who is bigger than ourselves and rejoice that He chose to send His Son, who gave His life so that sin might be conquered and death might be overcome, granting us new life in Him for eternity.