The other day,  I thought that there would be no chance that I would see the partial solar eclipse. I was boarding a plane in London. I had no special glasses. I didn’t have a colander with me- strangely. Nor did I have a cut up cereal packet to look through. All the instructions were not to look at the sun, so people were trying to take pictures from the plane with their eyes shut. This did not bring about a good calibre of shot. What we could see of the sun was that it was incredibly bright- it seemed to take up the whole sky.

Somehow, in the midst of all the restrictions, from the plane window, this shot was taken. You can just see the image of the eclipse reflected in the lens of the camera, above the sun.

One of the British Airway cabin crew then gave us some special glasses to look through, and all of a sudden we could see the eclipse clearly. It was an incredible experience, to see the shape of the moon impacting on the circular shape of the sun. To stop and think that this was the moon partially blocking the sun’s rays was quite spectacular. It could only be seen with the glasses, and was really awesome- the sun, moon and earth all aligned.

I did try to take a photo, but it meant aligning the phone to take a picture through some dark glasses, out a reflective window of a moving plane without looking in the right direction. This enterprise came to nothing! 

Just having seen the eclipse was enough. It was strangely powerful, and also came about through a lovely British Airways staff member, and the team work of passengers on a plane sharing glasses and trying to help each other out. It was really lovely to be part of this group, filled with awe and good will.

It reminded me of a bible verse: ‘For by him (God) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.’   Colossians 1:16

People had different experiences of the partial eclipse, some had clouds, darkness, bright light, strange reflections. However we experienced it, people are often speaking of how it has inspired them to think of the vastness of the universe, to reflect on the wonder of all things, and that it was a deeply spiritual experience. Anything that invites us to marvel at the nature of the universe, and to contemplate the nature of our Creator, must be a good thing.

Gracious and Loving God, the fabulous Creator of the universe, we bow down and worship You. In You all things are created, from cosmic dust to stellar nurseries and neutron stars, things we don’t even begin to understand. We marvel at the magnificance of all things. Lord Jesus, as we marvel, may we recommit ourselves to looking after our world, not polluting it or exploiting it. May we treat all things with reverance and care. Holy spirit, bring order out of chaos once again, and breath new life into our planet where eco systems are under such strain, and where renewal is so needed. Hear our prayer, for your glory’s sake, Amen.