April 8, 2024

Poor Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey . . .    "the sky is falling!"  Rather, the sun is going to fall today.  Disappear.  Chicken Little has declared that at 1:54 in Gretna today, the Sun will be gone (okay, about 80% gone locally).  May the fox not eat us all!

Yes, today is the solar eclipse.  It will begin in Gretna at 12:39 pm.   Although you could watch for the entire 2.5 hours of partial eclipse, around 1:54pm will be the peak - in Gretna, nearly 80% of the sun will have "fallen."  

Early in Scripture, as the flood subsided, God told Noah, "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease (Gen. 8:22).   As He made all things and upholds all things, eclipses, like seasons or like day and night, are a guarantee - "while the earth remains."   There are a few among us who are traveling to a spot of total coverage today. They want to marvel at this small aspect of creation.  Truth be told, it is eerie when the sun completely disappears mid-day.  Even the birds and critters stop and take notice.   Although it is not a sign or warning from God, He did intentionally set us up in our location to marvel at eclipses.  Our position in the Milky Way compared to the sizes of our earth, sun and moon, is so perfect  that we can see both solar and lunar eclipses.  

God placed the earth and set up eclipses just so we might marvel at Him when they occur.   He loves us so much to have given us, in all of the universe, a perfect spot to view these eclipses.   Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, so are we to declare His glory.   With our mouths.   Praise Him today!  

The final instructions that Jesus gave before ascending to glory were to “make disciples.”  This was specific instructions given to the eleven disciples.  We often call this the great commission today.   We are not each called to be a missionary and “Go and make disciples of all nations.”  This was to the Eleven.  Yet, this teaching is provided for us throughout the New Testament.  Each of us is a part of discipling others.   We are to bear fruit; the pattern given is that we share the gospel with others inside and outside of the church.  The good news is that Jesus saves, He is the hope for any situation we find ourself in, and we have God’s power to live out our salvation.   Each of us should be sharing Jesus with those who don’t know Him as well as proclaiming Jesus to those we see at church.  “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28).  Be the church!