Thursday, December 4, 2008

A Treasured Christmas Memory

Christmas is a time which often brings about memories of family, friends, and Christmases past. Last year, one of our pastors asked us during our midweek service what was our favorite memory of Christmas. It was food for thought. Which one do I pick?

I've been blessed with many. When my wife and I first dated, it was during Christmas time. I came to faith in Christ during Christmas time in 1984. There is one memory which became very special to me as the years have gone by. While it is not the most important (I've already covered two of the most important to me), it is a memory that I can share with you via video.

Forty years ago, the very first manned voyage to the Moon was underway at Christmas time. The crew of Apollo 8 were heading for the Moon, doing what no other humans had every done before them in history....travel to the Moon. For a twelve-year old interested in astronomy, I remember feeling lucky to be alive when this historic trip was taking place.

On Christmas Eve, 1968, sitting in my grandfather's living room, surrounded by numerous members of the family, we watched a live telecast from Apollo 8 while it was in orbit around the Moon. The utter profoundness of what was happening was enhanced as the crew of Apollo 8 took turns reading from the first chapter of the book of Genesis. Enjoy this memory with me. Odds are, (statistically), you were not alive in 1968. Yet, you can hear what I heard on that Christmas Eve of 40 years ago.

No comments: