Look up.
Many thought it was a year lost to death and destruction. Tens of thousands had died of a flu pandemic. Streets around the world had been flooded with protests. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated and the world endured a dragging Vietnam War. The face of death was more familiar than usual. The year was 1968. It was a year, not unlike this year, where people desperately hungered for something to replenish their depleted spirits.
Enter Apollo 8. Christmas Eve on 1968, Apollo 8 was set to shuttle three humans — Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman — to see the dark side of the moon for the first time in history. Half a billion people were going to tune in and watch Apollo 8 broadcast its orbit as Christmas prepared to dawn on a broken and battered America — weathered and worn by one of the most divisive years in history. The astronauts knew all eyes would be on them to deliver a timeless message.
The only guidance they received from NASA was to “say something appropriate.” More people would be listening to them than had listened to any voice so they wanted to get it right. But they were struggling to find the right words. They even enlisted the help of their friends back on Earth — to no avail. That is, until a friend’s wife walked into a room with a pile of papers scattered about (legend has, around 2:30AM). Staring at the mess in front of her, she had the answer. The friend agreed, and relayed it to the astronauts. They told nobody — not even NASA.
Until that Christmas Eve(ning), after giving the world a tour of their orbit, Bill Anders introduced the message: “For all the people on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message we would like to send you.” Anders paused. And when he began again, the message he would deliver is as old as time — a linchpin of most major religions and philosophies. This version just happened to be from the Bible: “In the beginning,” Anders began, “God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”
The astronauts continued until the end of the story, taking turns reading, through the words “And God saw that it was good” as the world watched below. Tears rolled from the cheeks of those on the ground as the message was received. You didn’t have to be a Christian to be moved by what they were saying: that, despite our different colors, languages, customs, and religions, we humans are parts of the same divine whole, woven together in the same eternal tapestry that relies on every single thread to hang together. More alike than we will ever be different. One. A mending message delivered around the time the astronauts snapped a picture of a single blue marble that hung against an infinite backdrop, capturing the “Earthrise” that accompanies this post.
After the Genesis reading, the astronauts ended with: “And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you. All of you on the good Earth.” Around the world, there are reports of people spilling out of their homes and looking skyward — unified, if only for a moment.
A few days ago, the universe and the Christmas Star — a.k.a. the Great Conjunction — was back with the same message as Apollo 8: look up. So while I’m not sure what 2021 will hold, I do know that in a world where I do a lot of looking down, I hope I remember where to look — up. God bless all of you on this good Earth. Fiat Lux.
Video (Apollo 8’s Christmas Eve Message):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vvNxhlP1jA