O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
Psalm 8:1-3 NRSVue
Last night was the second full moon of August, so a "blue moon". It was big and beautiful because this Sturgeon Moon was also the second Super Moon of the month , coming exceptioally close to the Earth.
Man in the Moon illustration, 1935
Humans have long been fascinated by the moon and once thought that the mentally ill were affected by the full moon -- lunacy. Ruth is sure that her sleep patterns are affected by the phases of the moon.
In 1969 the Americans put astronauts on the surface, a momentous event I watched as a teen. Countries still see lunar landings as a great achievement. Recently the Russians crashed a lunar explorer on the south end of the moon and shortly afterward India landed successfully, to great national celebration.
The bible is a "mooney" book, with a number of references to the satellite which may once have been part of our planet before spinning off as the result of a collosal collision. In one of those serendipitous, providential moments, yesterday's psalm reading was Psalm 8, which includes the verse: "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established..." Wonderful.
You may have been fortunate enough -- blessed? -- to get a good view from your location last night and were filled with wonder. I do hope so!
Here are some lyrics, slightly altered, from a great song by the crusty Canadian, Neil Young, who may be as old as the moon.
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