Did you see the full moon last night?! (And tonight.) After so much cloudy and rainy weather here, it was so glorious to have a clear night sky with such a beautiful full moon. I took a few pictures from my doorstep, but the photos don’t capture the reality. I remember so many lovely full moon nights with Minnie on Monterey Bay and Carmel Beach and earlier in Long Beach, California. It is absolutely breath-taking to see a full moon shining over the ocean or a lake.
The moon is glorious and it reflects the glory of the sun! What a beautiful picture of how our lives are supposed to reflect the beauty and glory of God.
In the Psalms the moon is called "the faithful witness in the sky." 89:37 Think of the implications of that statement and also the absolute consistency and faithfulness of the lunar cycle each month. We must not take it for granted, but as a gift from God who created it. Think of a clear night sky with so many stars along with the moon. God created all of them and named them all and put them in orbit where He continues to hold all things together by the Word of His power.
There is so much instability and uncertainty in our culture and in the period of history in which, by God’s grace, we are living. What a contrast to see how God keeps the sun, the moon and the stars and planets and the earth in orbit. They are anchored on nothing except God’s own Being. And that is sufficient because of who He is. We also have "an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast." And our anchor is Christ. We rest in Him and can always count on Him. "And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted [or tested] beyond what you can bear." 1 Cor. 10:13 "If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself." 2 Tim. 2:13 ESV
And "the moon is used to lend a regular rhythm to earthly existence." It is the "lesser light" that God created to "rule over the night and to separate the light from the darkness." Gen. 1:16-18 God "made the moon to mark off the seasons." Psalm 104:19 "Because of its predictable regularity, the moon becomes an image of longevity and even eternity." "Established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies." Psalm 89:37 NRSV (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 566) "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night. . . ." Jer. 31:35 ESV
The moon helps us to worship God by being impressed with His power and wisdom and beauty. And it gives us a perspective of our own finiteness, our limited creatureliness. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4 NIV Surely that question points us to God’s grace. Why does He treat us so graciously? Because He loves us-- and that is reason enough.
The beauty of the moon and the beauty of a life lived reflecting the glory of God as Christ shines out through us. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." 2 Cor. 2:14 NIV
–Pastor Burnside
The moon is glorious and it reflects the glory of the sun! What a beautiful picture of how our lives are supposed to reflect the beauty and glory of God.
In the Psalms the moon is called "the faithful witness in the sky." 89:37 Think of the implications of that statement and also the absolute consistency and faithfulness of the lunar cycle each month. We must not take it for granted, but as a gift from God who created it. Think of a clear night sky with so many stars along with the moon. God created all of them and named them all and put them in orbit where He continues to hold all things together by the Word of His power.
There is so much instability and uncertainty in our culture and in the period of history in which, by God’s grace, we are living. What a contrast to see how God keeps the sun, the moon and the stars and planets and the earth in orbit. They are anchored on nothing except God’s own Being. And that is sufficient because of who He is. We also have "an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast." And our anchor is Christ. We rest in Him and can always count on Him. "And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted [or tested] beyond what you can bear." 1 Cor. 10:13 "If we are faithless, He remains faithful—for He cannot deny Himself." 2 Tim. 2:13 ESV
And "the moon is used to lend a regular rhythm to earthly existence." It is the "lesser light" that God created to "rule over the night and to separate the light from the darkness." Gen. 1:16-18 God "made the moon to mark off the seasons." Psalm 104:19 "Because of its predictable regularity, the moon becomes an image of longevity and even eternity." "Established forever like the moon, an enduring witness in the skies." Psalm 89:37 NRSV (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 566) "Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night. . . ." Jer. 31:35 ESV
The moon helps us to worship God by being impressed with His power and wisdom and beauty. And it gives us a perspective of our own finiteness, our limited creatureliness. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" Psalm 8:3-4 NIV Surely that question points us to God’s grace. Why does He treat us so graciously? Because He loves us-- and that is reason enough.
The beauty of the moon and the beauty of a life lived reflecting the glory of God as Christ shines out through us. "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." 2 Cor. 2:14 NIV
–Pastor Burnside
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