The Promise of the Moon

34 I will not violate my covenant,
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
35 
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
    an enduring witness in the skies.

Psalm 89

Yesterday we received an isolation care package in the form of a brief video of our two and half year old granddaughter. She is holding the stem of a wizened, last-year flower up to the sky and declaring it a gift to the moon. She is entranced by the moon and it was visible during daylight hours yesterday, to her great delight. We have watched this video multiple times and are enchanted each time. It's a comfort that she has no idea of the worries and woes so many are experiencing these days. 

During these uncertain and ominous times we are more conscious of the rhythms of the night sky than perhaps we normally would be. I'm an early riser, so when I'm letting the cats out at dark o'clock I look upward and admire the Big Dipper. We were atop a ridge at a Conservation Area yesterday where we saw our first butterflies of the year -Mourning Cloaks -- which was wonderful, and we saw that same daylight moon. It helps me to literally get the bigger picture. 

We have a tide clock on one of our walls, a reminder that the ebb and flow of tides are somewhat different than the twenty-four hour days we observe. And of course those tides are mysteriously created by the proximity of the moon to planet Earth. Our tide clock is set to the tide table of a friend's summer home near the Keji Seaside Adjunct in Nova Scotia. She has kindly given us the use of this place on a number of occasions and we revel in the night sky. Far from any community of size, the Milky Way is awe-inspiring and we've been there for a meteor shower as well. 

In scripture the moon is both a gift and a sign of dark portents. We know that Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover in the days which led to his crucifixion and that it was likely a full moon by which he was arrested in the Garden of  Gethsemane.

We are experiencing our "signs of the times" these days, and it's a challenge not to be overwhelmed. I'm going to hold fast to our granddaughter's delight and the promise of God's presence with us in Jesus, the Christ who experienced his own anguish beneath the moon in order that we can know a resurrection promise. 

Easter is always on the Sunday after the full moon following the Spring Equinox, which is next Tuesday. Look up, and give thanks. 

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
deep peace of the gentle night to you.

Sun and stars pour their healing light on you.

Deep peace of Christ, the light of the world to you.