The Great Eclipse
It’s today! The Great American Solar Eclipse. I’ve been hearing about this for almost a year, seeing as I teach at a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Innovation school. We have been gearing up with professional development, activities appropriate for all ages and subjects, and online learning resources.
Depending on the source you check, you may find different information about how long we go between solar eclipses. Did you know that’s because there is a difference in an annular eclipse and a total solar eclipse? Do you know the difference in the umbra and penumbra that happen during an eclipse? Those are fun facts that you may want to research just to know how special the event this Monday really is.
One thing I have had to watch out for in teaching my students is “expert sources” who talk about the amazing coincidence that the moon is both 400 times smaller than the sun and 400 times closer making them appear about the same size. Instead of coincidence, how about the Great Designer?
The eclipse today will be amazing, but it is not the most amazing solar event to ever happen. That happened on the day that our Lord died for our sins. In Luke 23:44-45 we read, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (ESV). The NKJV says that the “sun was darkened.”
This was no ordinary – even if rare – solar event of nature. Totality of the eclipse this afternoon will be no longer than around two and a half minutes, depending on where you live. For Christ’s death, the sun was darkened for three whole hours. This was further proof that Christ was Lord. One commentator I read said it was one of the ways that nature rebelled against this sinful act of man.
I urge you, as you watch this great event that comes from a divine Designer, to remember an even greater eclipse that happened over 2,000 years ago: Jesus, through His death, eclipsed your (and my) sins if only we will obey Him. Today, as you look up, remember your Creator and your Savior and all of the amazing things He has done for you.
Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
