Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

July 20
Friday


COMMUNION
ON THE MOON

READ:
Psalm 139:1-12
______________________________

If I ascend into heaven,
You are there.
__Psalm 139:8
______________________________

Apollo 11 landed on the surface of the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Most of us are familiar with Armstrong's historic statement as he stepped onto the moon's surface: "That's one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind." But few know about the first meal eaten there.

Buzz Aldrin had brought aboard the spacecraft a tiny communion kit provided by his church. Aldrin sent a radio broadcast to earth asking listeners to contemplate the events of that day and to give thanks.

Then, in radio blackout for privacy, Aldrin poured wine into a silver chalice. He read, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit" (John 15:5). Silently, he gave thanks and partook of the bread and cup.

God is everywhere, and our worship should reflect this reality. In Psalm 139 we are told that wherever we go, God is intimately present with us. Buzz Aldrin celebrated that from earth, he took time to commune with the One who created, redeemed, and fellowshiped with him.
Are you far from home? Do you feel as if you're on a mountaintip or in a dark valley? No matter what your situation, God's fellowship is only a prayer away. __Dennis Fisher
____________________________________________________________

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Just a closer walk with Thee,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Daily walking close to Thee,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~Let it be, dear Lord, let it be. __Anon~~~~~~~~~~~~~
____________________________________________________________

God's presence with us
is one of His greatest presents to us.

**********Today's Bible Reading __ Psalm 139:1-12****************

1 O LORD, You have
searched me and known
me. 2 You know my sitting
down and my rising up; You
understand my thought afar
off, 3 You comprehend my
path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all
my ways. 4 For there is not
a word on my toungue, but
behold, O LORD, You know
it altogether. 5 You have
hedged me behind and
before, and laid Your hand
upon me. 6 Such knowledge
is too wonderful for me; it
is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from
Your Spirit? Or where can I
flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven,
You are there; if I make my
bed in hell, behold, You are
there. 9 If I take the wings
of the morning, and swell
in the uttermost parts of the
sea, 10 even there Your hand
shall lead me, and Your
right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, "Surely the
darkness shall fall on me,
even the night shall be light
about me; 12 indeed, the
darkness shall not hide
from You, but the night
shines as the day: the
darkness and the light are
both alike to You.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In asking the rhetorical questions about escaping the presence of
God, the psalmist refers to two extremes__heaven above and hell
below (Ps. 139:7). "Heaven" refers to the visible sky or the abode of
the stars. The word translated "hell" is actually sheol and means "the underworld, grave, or the abode of the dead." No place in this life
or in the next can separate the believer from God's presence. God's
watchful care of the soul is ever present. __HDF

[Mackenaw]

Wow! I got chill bumps on that one. Sorta of a "where were you when...?" type of question for me. I know most of the members here were not even born yet when Apollo 11 landed on the moon, but I was enjoying my summer vacation just out of my freshman year of high school. I and a few friends were in and out of various houses and favorite hangouts when at one stop, someone's parents called us into the living room where the TV was showing them walking on the moon. We watched out of respect to "the parents" -- but our minds were too preoccupied with where we were going next, to really comprehend the history that was taking place right before our eyes. Yet, all these years later -- I remember.

Even then, God was with me. I had no clue.

I love Psalm 139, course I love all His Word now. And The Word loves me, even when I was a self-absorbed teen seeking my next cool experience, and unaware of His blessed presence.

Wow! Thank you, Cimi, for sharing.
God bless you, sister.
Mack