Once in a Blue Moon

 Once in a Blue Moon

Do you ever sit and stare at the moon? It is much better than staring at the sun, and who has that much time during the day? But in the evenings, or late at night, just to behold it - well, it’s beautiful.

Last Wednesday, a week ago from now as I write, we had what they now call a “supermoon.” Super moons are larger than others, but they are all the same moon. And, that same moon is always the same size, except it looks bigger when it is closer. It was closer last week, big, pregnant, and beautiful with its golden glow. I do not know if there is a scientific standard for designating “super moons.” When I was growing up, I never heard of such a thing, so I think they invented the category more recently. The next super moon, according to some standard, will be September 29.

This particular full moon was also a “blue moon,” that is, the second blue moon of the month (though there are other theories). That doesn’t happen often, because the lunar cycle takes ~29 days. The first full moon must occur very early in the month to catch the second. The next blue moon is May 31, 2026.

Living in Michigan, we may not see a particular super moon or blue moon. It doesn’t mean it’s not there, but it is obscured due tocloud cover. Here is our first pastoral application: just because you can’t see it, or understand it, doesn’t mean it is not true.

Another interesting feature is that the moon produces no light. It should really be a dark spot in a dark sky, and thus invisible. But God so designed the moon with its powdery surface that it reflects the light of the sun. The reflection can be quite bright at times, bright enough to even read the words on the page of a book. It means that either the moon is very reflective, or that the sun, which has slipped below the horizon and cannot be seen, is very bright. Or both.

And, the moon waxes and wanes, depending on how much of it is catching the sun’s rays. No, the whole moon is always there, but only a part of it reflects light, depending how much is peeking at the sun around the dark side of the earth.

So how much to you reflect the Son’s light? Are you highly reflective? Is your “glow” inhibited by cloud cover, and how would you describe that cloud cover? Is it the fault of others, or your own? We are not sources of light, as Jesus is, but we are to be reflectors, unless we are just a black spot in a dark sky, invisible, which would rob the world of a beautiful sight.