On Monday, much of North America will have the privilege of being part of a solar eclipse, where the moon passes between the earth and the sun, all but obliterating the view of the sun for a small portion of the earth. Because this doesn’t happen very often, a big deal is made of it; I even have a friend who is taking a week of vacation and travelling quite a distance to what is understood to be an optimal viewing point to be part of the solar eclipse ‘event’.
Like everything else, it’s become a commercial event. Companies are selling special glasses so you can safely view the solar eclipse. Vacation packages in Niagara Falls are being offered for sale. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well.
Some school boards are not having classes that day. A solar eclipse occurred when I was in elementary school. There was no thought to cancelling classes; we just had an assembly in the gym and watched the eclipse on television. We all had to squint, though, because in those days, the biggest TV the school could dig up was about a 26-inch cathode ray tube unit. (Boy, I’m getting old.)
We are told not to look at the eclipse with the naked eye because of the risk of retinal damage. In reality, looking at the sun under any circumstances for any length of time can do that. It’s also why people who do arc welding wear a protective shield with shaded glass.
At St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton, we’re spending our Sunday mornings in the Book of Acts these days. We’re not quite halfway through the book yet, and already, we’ve encountered a couple of instances of people being struck blind. In each case, God’s purpose was not to harm, but to get the attention of individuals and change their hearts. (I’ll be looking at another one a week from this Sunday.)
The most obvious example is the case of Saul of Tarsus, the zealous Pharisee, bent on the destruction of the Jesus movement. The Lord knocked him to the ground and struck him blind so that he would see the error of his ways. He was led to his intended destination, Damascus, but instead of persecuting the church there, he was healed of his blindness by a follower of Jesus, and became one himself (the story is in Acts 9).
If the solar eclipse happens where you are on Monday, as the sky darkens – if only for a few minutes – use that time as an opportunity to think about your relationship with the Lord, and pray for others who are spiritually blind today and need to receive the saving grace of God.
And don’t look directly at the sun without significant eye protection!
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (Jesus, John 8.12, NLT).
Passionately His 