I Miss the Stars!

No, I am not referring to Hollywood or professional sports celebrities.  I am referring to the glorious, majestic heavens!  When was the last time you witnessed first hand on a clear night, away from the smog, air pollution, and city lights, the stupendous glory of the heavens?  Do you remember?

It's been a while for me.  And I miss it.

I remember so well as a child living in a rural community in a dimly lit neighborhood parking myself at night on our front porch, or positing myself face up on the grass and gazing with innocent wonder at the beauty of the night sky.  I didn't know what it meant.  I don't think I really cared what it meant.  All I know is it would  give me a sense of awe at the bigness up there.

But then the busyness of life took over.  School, sports, chores, more school, parties, college, career, upward mobility, making money, marriage, children, paying bills, more work, meetings, living in city after city of noise and lights, etc. etc. etc.!  And somewhere along the way, too early on, I stopped looking up. 

I do remember one occasion when visiting Hawaii for a church convention on the island of Maui looking up.  It was a quiet evening.  Stillness was all around.  We were returning to our rented townhouse from an evening church service and I was walking from the car towards the residence and, as if drawn by something or someone, I looked up.  And what I witnessed was nothing short of dazzling!

Cluster upon cluster, upon cluster of stars against the blackness of the night sky.  Everywhere.  The stars were everywhere, all around.  I couldn't move.  I was mesmerized by what I saw.  I've never experience anything like it, not before, not since.  It was as if I could touch them. Touch the stars.   

Every time now that I think about that occasion, that mystical experience, those few moments, I think of the passage in sacred scripture,

             "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have               set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"

The unspeakable beauty and splendor of God's Universe.  Why did he ever choose to bother with us?  I'm convinced it's because this same God of creation who made the stars desires to share his whole Divine Trinitarian Love with us!  And I long to return the grace and favor!

Yes, I miss the stars.

And so, I think soon I'm going to pack up my little family, leave the city and venture out into the woods or mountains - somewhere away from this sound and light show, and once again, look up into the darkness of the night sky and worship the God of the stars, the God of the heavens, who is both transcendent (above the heavens) and yet intimately present to us all.

Peace for real,
Dennis