AMAZING FACT FEW PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT
The first food eaten and the first liquid swallowed on the moon by human beings were the communion bread and wine and among the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ. Did you know that? It’s true.
Here is the story. On July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 landed the Eagle on the moon. Out their window they were staggered not only by the moon craters but by the overwhelming sight of a beautiful blue marble suspended in space called Earth. Buzz wanted to mark this moment right after the landing and right before the first step on the lunar surface. How do you commemorate and celebrate such an extraordinary moment in history?
Buzz thought the only way to mark the occasion was to express gratitude and hope by taking the Lord’s supper. He said, “I wanted to do something positive, so the spiritual aspect appealed greatly to me.” He pulled out some bread representing the body of Jesus that was broken and poured a thimble full of wine representing the blood of Jesus that was shed. He then read from a three-by-five card the words of Jesus from John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.”
Buzz requested a moment of silence and invited the world to pause and contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Astronaut Aldrin choose to celebrate the One who created the earth and the moon. He wanted the world to know that in the midst of pain and heartache, a Savior had intervened in human history. This Savior wanted everyone to be rescued out of sin and offered His life to be the source of our life. The life we long for is not something we invent or manufacture but something we receive from connection to Jesus Christ.
This communion sequence was dramatized in a 12-part HBO series “From The Earth To The Moon”. You can watch it on a YouTube clip.
And that’s the rest of the story… the story NASA and our Universities never tell anyone. And now you know.
Dr. Michael Sprague is the Louisiana State Chaplain with the Capitol Commission and President of Grace Adventures. Michael does life with his wonderful wife Donna and resides in Mandeville, LA. His motto is “Bet the Farm on God.” You can find more information about Michael here.
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