August 21, 2017, was a special day. As the sun shone brightly in a clear, blue sky, Beverly and I gathered outside with our family to see the Total Solar Eclipse. ¹ Not see directly, of course. We had heard the warning, “Don’t stare at the sun or you’ll go blind!” ² So we chose a fun option.

Using paper plates, we made a hole in the center for the sun’s light to pass through and onto a second plate. There we would see the image of the moon passing in front of the sun. ³ Everything worked great. But what came next was a surprise.

At the height of the Eclipse, the glare of the sun receded and the sky darkened into a deeper blue. Then a symphony of birds singing and cicadas chirping rose from the trees that surround our home, growing louder and louder. As the moon sailed past the sun, the symphony slowly faded into silence.

Why were the birds and cicadas disturbed?

I remembered that day recently as another Total Solar Eclipse visited our planet. ⁴ I also remembered the people across high mountain tops and low valleys, in lush forests and barren deserts. They came to worship…not the Creator, but His creation…the sun and the moon. ⁵

And I remembered how that symphony had made me feel. For I never thought the birds and cicadas sang because they were confused by an early nightfall, as scientists said, nor did it have the ring of rejoicing, as pastors declared. No, they sounded disturbed.

Throughout the Bible, we find the use of metaphors where something is used to represent or teach something else. This is especially true of Jesus. I am…the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd. ⁶

Maybe it’s about hiding the face of the Son.

Where is the metaphor here? Remember the people across the mountains, valleys, forests and deserts? They were staring at the sun, and so focused on what was created they became blind to the Creator.

Well, what are we to learn? Focus your eyes on the One who came to give sight to the blind, the One who has called us to follow Him, to live as He has told us to live, to love and encourage others and to become the light of the world. ⁷

And the command is simply this…Every day take time to Stare at the Son.

Ciloa Forever!

 

 

Chuck

 

 

 

Chuck Graham is Founder and Executive Director of Ciloa, an international ministry devoted to sharing God’s encouragement and teaching others how to “encourage one another as long as it is called Today!” He is also an author, speaker, teacher, and encourager. Chuck and his wife, Beverly, live in Lawrenceville, Georgia, USA. You can learn more about Chuck and Ciloa at www.Ciloa.org.

 

Footnotes: (1) The Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017, was the first such Eclipse to reach the lower 48 states of the United States since 1979 and the first since 1918 to span the U.S. from coast to coast. (2) To stare in American English means to look intently at someone or something, having a fixed or focused gaze…with eyes wide open (3) I added a more holes to my plate, ending up with a different image than the others, as you can tell from the picture. (4) This year’s Total Solar Eclipse in the U.S. occurred on April 8, 2024. (5) These images appeared on various news programs as well as The Weather Channel which was covering the event. (6) Read John 6:35, 8:12, 9:5, 10.9, 10:11. (7) Read Matthew 5:14.

 

Pictures: Banner:  (1) Happy Pin Hole Face, photo by Chuck Graham, 2017. (2) Trees, Birds and Cicadas, photo by Chuck Graham, 2017. (3) Edited version of Pre-Eclipse 08-21-2017, original composite photo by Dennis Di Cicco, taken at Easter Island, SkyandTelescope.org.