COMMUNION ON THE MOON!

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'In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth'
Genesis Chapter one

As I think about that statement, it is divinely appropriate that God received heavenly honor many moons ago, when two American astronauts first set foot on the Moon.

My friend and cub reporter, Karen, sent me an article detailing the faithful gratitude of Buzz Aldrin, who along with Neil Armstrong, made history forty years ago by walking on the moon. Aldrin, an elder in his Presbyterian church, marked the moment by consuming a consecrated communion host and wine. Imagine, the significance of his foresight. Aldrin is about to launch into space, travel 250 thousand miles from earth...and he plans ahead to honor God by taking communion on the moon! That's pretty powerful!

Aldrin apparently detailed his decision in an article he wrote in Guideposts magazine. Aldrin and Armstrong had been on the lunar surface a few minutes when he made the following public statement over the live radio broadcast, "This is the LM pilot. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours and to give thanks in his or her own way." He ended the radio broadcast and continued reading a verse from the Gospel of John, and then took communion.

Aldrin said, "In the radio blackout, I opened the little plastic packages which contained the bread and the wine. I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one'sixth gravity of the moon, the wine slowly curled and gracefully came up the side of the cup. Then I read the Scripture, 'I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me will bring forth much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.'

He said as he ate the tiny Host and swallowed the wine he gave thanks for the intelligence and spirit that had brought two young pilots to the Sea of Tranaquility...And he pondered the fact that the very first food eaten on the moon- were the communion elements.

Nasa told Aldrin not to publicly read the communion passage over the radio because of a legal battle with the infamous religion opponent, Madelyn Murray O'Hare. She took issue when the Apollo 8 crew read from Genesis while orbiting the moon at Christmas. Can you imagine?!

I personally believe the actions of all the astronauts trumps any controversy. Think about it. Highly intelligent scientists...Nasa astronauts, sent on a mission of discovery, are so divinely inspired-that they are centered on creation and the ultimate creator-God. Now that's something to think about!

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