In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide race riots, there was a bit of good news over the weekend.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I’m a big fan of space flight, having used radar to track satellites way back in 1970, teaching orbital mechanics at an Air Force school 1971 – 1974, and finally helping oversee the development of Undergraduate Space Training in 1986. I’m also reading a biography of Elon Musk, builder of Tesla cars and founder of SpaceX. Saturday, SpaceX made history by becoming the first commercial company to launch astronauts into space, the first launch of American astronauts from US soil in over 9 years.
June and I watched it live, on pins and needles, because rocket launches are still a harrowing experience. It’s an explosion in every sense of the word.
Every aspect of the flight was smooth, and 19 hours later, they docked with the International Space Station, 260 miles above the earth. It may have looked like the capsule was inching along toward its destination, but in reality, both spacecraft were traveling at speeds in excess of 17,000 miles per hour.
It shows what can be done with cooperation, persistence, and courage. I pray we can muster the same creative energy to defeat both the virus and the racial tensions. The latter, especially, will require a change in human hearts–a God-sized task! Heather Holleman wrote eloquently about this on Pentecost Sunday (yesterday!).
We need new thinking and new living in our nation. I think about two incredible moments in scripture that show us a picture of Jesus fighting racism: when He engages with the Samaritan woman and when the Holy Spirit tells Peter to bring the gospel to the Gentiles. Both groups were excluded and even hated. -Heather Holleman, May 31, 2020
Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked. They couldn’t believe he was talking with that kind of a woman… (John 4.27, MSG)
The news [of Peter’s visit to the Roman Centurion Cornelius] traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it—heard that the non-Jewish “outsiders” were now “in.” When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates called him on the carpet: “What do you think you’re doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?” (Acts 11.1 – 3 MSG)
And he [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. (Ephesians 2.17 – 19, ESV)