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Like Bright Stars
Thursday 23rd May 2019
Iain Tweedale
For the last few nights there have been clear skies with still warm evenings. It is most unlike Wales, which is usually characterised by leaden skies, cold rain and wind. Last night though it was quiet and I looked up into the sky where there were countless stars shining brightly. Paul encouraged the early Christians by comparing them to stars. They must not have felt that they were countless though as they faced isolation and persecution, but as they looked up they must have wondered about the endless nature of God.
The light that we can see from these stars started its journey across the universe at the time of the first Christians and the light that is being emitted today will not reach Earth for thousands of years to come. This provides a level of perspective in understanding our own transience but also our connectedness to our predecessors. Through these lights we can realise that the word of life is something we need to listen to in the here and now, caught in a moment of eternity all around us. I looked up again with a sense of wonder and awe.
(The image is of the Milky Way over Caldey Island, a tiny monastic island off the coast of Wales. This blog post is the first from "A Year on Caldey", with more to come soon. Image credit: www.drewbuckleyphotography.com).