Shine Your Light and Let the Whole World See

While attending a spring concert a week ago I got into a fascinating conversation with a couple from out of town. We reminisced about the solar eclipse. I was delighted as they shared what impacted them most – hearing spontaneous exclamations of “Aaah” from neighbors who admired the radiant corona ring of light encircling the dark image of the moon.

My wife and I had also witnessed this same response from the many onlookers around us gazing heavenward at this extraordinary, if inspiring, conjunction. This profound experience prompted us to pen some 'Insights from the eclipse' as hinted at in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God...” and also drawing from metaphorical allusions comparing Christ to the sun's brilliant radiance. (Revelation 1:16; Acts 26:13)

So, is it just a coincidence that Jesus' death on the cross “was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock”? Indeed, the very next verse says, “The light from the sun was gone.” (Luke 23:44) Do these descriptions sound somewhat like an eclipse? In fact, this awe-inspiring imagery should make all of us wonder, “How exactly do the celestial bodies glorify God?” And what about the unusual, if spectacular, conjunction of the sun and moon? Doesn't this also proclaim God's handiwork?  

We are continuing to engage many people in conversations about the eclipse, including Muslims. Please pray that many will turn their gaze and look to Jesus as the true light.

To read more about 'Insights from the solar eclipse' please visit https://answering-islam.org/authors/clarke/eclipse.html