So, the Great North American Eclipse ... pretty cool, right? It's not every day that you have a total solar eclipse occur in your own backyard, and only an hour from the path of totality. Actually, for many parts of the world, eclipses only happen 20 to 30 years. Our next total solar eclipse path in the United States won't occur until 2044, and only in Montana and North Dakota. I have already instructed my children that we will be having a family reunion and that they must all come with their families as they will be 28, 35, and 36 at the time.
I have been blessed to live near the path of totality for the last two eclipses. In 2017, I was teaching in Jacksonville, Ill., and managed to step out of the classroom for 20 minutes to catch it at 96% coverage. It was interesting and strange all at the same time. I remember the way the air seemed electric, the birds began to call out a little louder, everything got quiet during those 3 minutes of "partial eclipsing." It was extremely memorable. This year, I was within 97% coverage here in Siloam Springs.
My 8-year-old, Kenzie, is not an "outdoorsy" kind of girl. She'll ride her bike from time to time or go for a random walk on a trail around town, but for the most part she likes to be inside. I knew that to get her to go and sit in the church parking lot for an hour and a half would be like pulling teeth. I was met with an immediate, "Do I have to?" in a half groan, half whine when I announced our intention with an air of excitement.
"Kenzie, we're going to the church parking lot for the eclipse. We're going to put on special glasses, look up at the sky, and wait for the sun to go dark. The sky will look really weird and the sun will disappear for a few minutes," I explained.
Now, my dear reader, imagine how that sounded to an 8-year-old. I might as well have told her that the apocalypse was coming. She looked terrified -- and reasonably so. I quickly changed my approach.
"Kenzie, every so often the moon goes in between the sun and earth and it blocks its light for a few minutes." I modeled it for her with my hands as the moon and sun.
"It doesn't happen very often and the next time it happens anywhere close to here will be in 20 years. You'll be really sad if you miss it -- and so will Daddy -- I really want you to watch it with me," I said as I appealed to the last shred of Dad guilt I could muster. She relented as I showed her the cool "eclipse glasses." Which she informed me were actually broken because you couldn't see through them.
We went to the viewing and had a ball. She enjoyed every minute -- we all did. She couldn't stop talking about it when we got home. Later that afternoon we heard her talking to one of her friends who lives in another state and she was proudly boasting of her eclipse experience. Since then, she's asked me multiple times about the next solar eclipse, lunar eclipses and almost every other eclipse-related question her 8-year-old brain can muster.
What I do regret, however, is that we didn't make the journey to the path of totality. From what I have heard from my friends who did, it was totally worth it. Here, in Siloam, the moon only reached its apex at 97%. As the moon moved into position everything just went sepia tone for 3 or 4 minutes and then it all returned back to normal. It really made me think about the magnitude of our sun when even just 3% is still visible. It made me think even more about the majestic light of Christ that shines so brilliantly that nothing can ever eclipse, block or stand it its way. In the book of Revelation, there is a scripture that speaks to the never-eclipsed light of Christ in the New Jerusalem: "And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light." (Revelation 21:23)
Now, that's an opportunity that you'll definitely not want to miss -- and there's only one way to experience it: through new life in Christ.
Listen to "In the Light" by dc Talk.
Jeremy DeGroot is Lead Pastor at FBC Siloam Springs, a husband, daddy, and musician. You can contact him via email at [email protected] or reach out on Facebook.