The photograph is quite extraordinary. The first images from the James Webb telescope show us an image of space into the very infancy of the cosmos. More than just our own universe, it shows the vast array of galaxies stretching back almost 14 billion years.
Most scientists believe that our universe began with a small very dense speck of matter that exploded expanding that matter into the universe. Our universe is continuing to expand even as we live. The stars and galaxies beyond our sight are millions of years old. The language in Genesis is metaphorical, poetic, not literal.
The first photographs from the telescope gives us an overwhelming sense of wonder and an appreciation of the beauty of the cosmos beyond our sight. The colors of the stars and planets are extraordinary, reflecting off the any suns that shine on them. The photos bring you back to a time when people first looked at the sky and wondered.
Prayer for the Day
A thousand years are like a day in your sight, O God,
As you have brought the cosmos into our sights;
We are so small in the vastness of your creation,
But we know, O Lord, that even so, you care for us.
Nurture our wonder so we are transformed.
Making us a people who care for your creation
In the name of the One who walked beneath the stars,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Deep within, there is something profoundly known, not consciously, but subconsciously. A quiet truth, that is not a version of something, but an original knowing.
- T.F. Hodge, writer, From Within I Rise