First Man of Many

Genesis 1:28

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

 One movie that I might like to see shortly would be First Man. The first man to which it refers is Neil Armstrong – the first man to step on the Moon. The reason for the movie is clear. 2019 marks the 50^th anniversary of that historic mission. I remember, even growing up in England, the excitement of that event. I particularly remember the canceling of lessons in our primary school and this large black and white TV being wheeled into the school hall so that we could watch the BBC’s broadcast of the events.

New Scientist magazine has a video interview about the movie, but this also links to a 2009 article, from the 40^th anniversary, which asked a question that I have often asked myself – why was Armstrong not the first man of many on the Moon?

Watching the BBC coverage, despite my young age, and despite the lack of access to videotape, I vividly remember the BBC’s astronomer, Patrick Moore, opining that “there will certainly be colonies on the Moon by the end of the Century.”

I do not know if there is a major theological point to make about the possible exploration of God’s Lesser Light, yet the desire to explore and subdue the Lunar surface seems to me to be part of the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:28. On the other hand, my late mother thought they had spoiled the Moon by putting footprints on it without wiping them away!   Author: Paul F. Taylor

 Thank You, Lord, for putting the Lesser Light into our sky with all the other objects of the universe. Thank You that this reminds us of Your power and majesty. Amen.

Ref: < https://www.newscientist.com/article/2180979-first-man-ryan-gosling-and-damien-chazelle-on-faking-the-moon-landing/ >, accessed 9/28/2018. Image: Gregory H. Revera, CC BY-SA 3.0.