On the fourth day, God created the sun and the moon. Typically, we perceive these celestial bodies in separate times and spaces: the sun in the day and the moon at night. We may think of the sun and the moon as two separate worlds that don’t have much reason to come together. After all, night and day are opposites, and the moon rules the night while the sun rules the day.
One of my all time favorite bands is mewithoutYou. On July 31st, they played in Baltimore as part of their farewell tour. It would take more room than I have in this short reflection to articulate the profound impact this band has had on me personally and spiritually. At the show, they played a song called “The Sun and the Moon,” and it was the one moment that got me in the my-favorite-band-is-saying-goodbye feelings. The first few lines say, “Daniel broke the king’s decree/Peter stepped from the ship to the sea/There was hope for Job like a cut down tree/I hope that there’s such hope for me.” Later, the chorus says, “The Sun and the Moon/I wanna see both worlds as One!”
How many worlds do we inhabit that, at first glance, seem to be opposite? Virtual church and in-person church. Queer identity and Christian faith. English out in public and another language spoken at home. Classical music in the sanctuary and heavy metal in the car. From the biggest things to the smallest things, I’m sure we can all think of a million “worlds” we all inhabit.
What if the sun and the moon were one? It would be an uprooting and perhaps dangerous eclipse, and seeing it may mean taking risks like Daniel and Peter. The lions are fierce and the sea thrashes and there is nothing familiar about these circumstances, yet God calls us to see as one what we couldn’t see before.
In the cosmic scheme of things, the sun and the moon are never separate. They both occupy the vastness of space. It’s simply our normal, comfortable experience of their movements that makes us see them as separate. What worlds do we inhabit that seem the most opposite to or separate from our faith lives? What happens if they become one?
Bio:
Taylor Ramage is a CAC board member, poet, and sci-fi/fantasy author of Puerto Rican descent. Her flash fiction has appeared in speculative and literary anthologies. She has a YA fantasy short story in the forthcoming Latine anthology Where Monsters Lurk and Magic Hides (Fall 2022). Her published poetry includes the collections, Forgive Us Our Trespasses and Lest I Know Your Weakness. Taylor is an avid love of stories in all forms.
Taylor Ramage
CAC Board Member
Author and Poet
