1I look up to the hills —
Where will my help come from?
2My help comes from the Lord,
The one who created heaven and earth. Psalm 121
Name an event that would cause all people to look up to heaven. Of course it was a solar eclipse!
On April 8, 2024, along the path of wholeness, from Louisiana to New England, virtually everyone looked up, and everyone around the world watched them look up on television, all at the same time. I just knew what I knew. Still looking, keep your eyes on the sky.
Looking up, I open my phone and tune in to the Tabernacle Choir in Temple Square as the chorus of George Frederick Handel’s Messiah proclaims, “Heaven declares the glory of God!” I heard. There was no cloud over that profound heavenly voice. You can’t get it wrong or ignore it.
Every time I drive north and south, I am reminded of the solar eclipse and Anishinaabe/Ojibwe leader Bugona Gesig. Bugonaigesig’s name means “hole of the day” because he was born on the day of a solar eclipse. Signs along Highway 371 in Little Falls and Nisswa indicate Hole in the Day Street, Hole in the Day Lake, Hole in the Day Bay at Gull Lake, and Bugonaigesig Shops in Little Falls.
This name may be best known for hearing WCCO’s Dave Lee pronounce it perfectly: Bug-o-ney-ge-sig school in Benna, Minnesota. not. This school was closed due to cold and snowy days on the Leech Lake Reservation.
Try to wrap your head around the idea that ancient people experienced solar eclipses without the benefit of modern science to predict or explain this celestial phenomenon. But just like us, they saw wonder and glory in what the whole creation could announce and the souls of the earth could sing. Let’s “let the heavens and nature sing” its wonders!
Editor’s note: Pastor Rod Anderson, a contributor to Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN), also serves on the EPLN Board of Directors. He was senior pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie.
Interested in contributing a faith-based column to EPLN? Email editor@eplocalnews.org.
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