Taking Communion on the Moon?

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 became the first manned vehicle to land on the moon. Nearly everyone knows Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, but few remember the second man was Buzz Aldrin. Even fewer remember that Buzz Aldrin was the first man to observe the Lord’s Supper on the moon.

He was an elder at Webster Presbyterian Church in Texas at the time, so he asked his pastor to provide the elements to take to the moon. Aldrin and Armstrong had only been on the lunar surface for a few minutes when Buzz read John 15:5 and swallowed the bread and wine inside the lunar module. Aldrin later said, “The very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements. And some of the first words spoken on the moon were the words of Jesus Christ, who made the earth and the moon.” 

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). I have to wonder if Jesus knew that Communion (also known as the Eucharist) would one day be celebrated on the moon. Since He knew all things (John 18:4, 19:28), He certainly did know. When Mary anointed Jesus with perfume, He said, "Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her” (Matt. 26:13).

His statement sounded impossible, but Jesus knew a Bible would be written in the future and this event would be recorded in it. Today the New Testament has been translated into 2,300 languages. Bibles have been distributed worldwide, and the story about Mary anointing Him with perfume is recorded in each one of them.

He never said, “Truly I say to you, this supper will be celebrated on the moon.” It would be too much for anyone to believe, at least until 1969. We don’t take the Lord’s Supper to remember it was celebrated on the moon. We take it to remember Jesus died for our sins, and we’ll continue to observe it until He returns and we’re in His kingdom (1 Cor. 11:26, Matt. 26:29).  www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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Sports Superstitions

I love football, and on gameday I usually wear a shirt to show support for my favorite college team. You probably do the same thing for your team. However, some athletes think they will actually play better by following certain rituals. 

Baseball legend Babe Ruth stepped on home plate with his right foot at precisely 3:15 pm before every home game. He never allowed anyone to clean his cap, believing all his home run power lived in the dirt and sweat stains. NBA star LeBron James throws powder in the air before each basketball game. Golf star Tiger Woods wears a red shirt on the final day of major tournaments believing the red color helps him perform at this best. 

Many sports fans also do certain rituals, hoping it will help their team to win. If their team is losing, they’ll turn their caps around backwards, thinking it will turn the score around. I know a football fan who believes if he watches his favorite team play on TV, they will start losing. But if he will quit watching the game, his team will start winning. Of course, not watching the game has nothing to do with his team winning. Its just a superstition.

A superstition is a false belief that doing certain rituals, or not doing them, can control outcomes and bring good or bad luck. A survey of 2,400 sports fans revealed that two-thirds are superstitious when it comes to game day: 50% wear a specific jersey every time their team plays, 44% won’t wash it until the end of the season, 42% will sit in a specific spot, and 62% blamed themselves for the team’s loss because they weren’t wearing the right shirt, or moved from their spot on the couch during the game. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a jersey, but believing that not washing it helps your team win? Really?  

First Timothy 4:7 says, “Have nothing to do with godless myths.” Not just sports superstitions, not just pagan superstitions (Isa. 2:6), but also religious superstitions such as putting statues of Jesus or angels around their house for protection or blessing. That’s putting their faith in an inanimate object, which is idolatry (1 John 5:21). 

So have fun watching your team, and it’s okay to wear that jersey with your hat on backwards. Just don’t think it has anything to do with winning or losing. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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The Hardest Part in Learning to Swim

When I was a kid, I took swimming lessons at the local neighborhood pool. The easy part was when I grabbed on to the side of the pool while someone held me up as I learned how to kick. I passed with flying colors! Then came the hardest part of swimming—learning how to float. The instructor told me the water would hold me up if I would just relax.

Many people say, “I haven’t learned how to swim,” but what they really mean is “I haven’t learned how to float.” Once you figure out how to do that, swimming becomes easy.

I had thrown rocks and other objects into a lake and all of them sank to the bottom. It was hard for me to believe the water would hold me up because I was much heavier than the rocks I threw. My instructor told me to lay flat as he held me up by the stomach. Then, he let go. Just as I expected, I immediately sank! I went home that day embarrassed and frustrated.

The next time I went to the neighborhood pool, I tried again to float, but my feet would immediately drop down so I could stand up. I didn’t fool anyone when I did that awkward “half swim” where I walked along the bottom of the pool while moving my arms like I was swimming.

Then one day, I quit trying to float. Instead, I held my breath, put my face in the water and just went limp. For the first time in my life, I floated. The crazy thing was—the key to floating is not trying to float. When I totally surrendered to the water and quit struggling, the water held me up.

That’s how we learn to trust God. Inwardly we go limp. We quit trying in our own strength and submit to His power to hold us up. We say, “Lord, I’m completely depending on you to come through for me.” David continually put his trust in God. He said, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You ... In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid” (Ps. 56:3, 4).

Just like I learned to float by trusting the water to hold me up, David learned to trust God by putting his confidence in the Lord to hold him up. And we must do the same. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net

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