I don’t think you’ll see the moon in the sky tonight.  It’s in the phase called “New Moon.”  If the sky is clear, it will be darker than usual, the stars may appear brighter.   Wait until tomorrow night and you’ll begin to see a very narrow crescent appear as the moon begins going through its phases once again.

In Biblical times the new moon was very significant.  It marked the beginning of a new month.   It was a time when the Israelites were to bring an offering to God. The beginning of the month was known not by astronomical calculations but by the testimony of messengers appointed to watch for the first visible appearance of the new moon. As soon as the first sliver was seen, the fact was announced throughout the whole country by signal fires on the mountaintops and the blowing of trumpets.

Our Chistian calendar does not follow lunar based months, but our holiest of celebrations, Easter or Resurrection Sunday is “lunar-based.”  The Council of Nicaea established that Easter would be held on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.  I agree that sentence is confusing, but that’s it folks.  For that reason, Easter can fall on any date from March 22 through April 25.

If you see the “no moon” tonight and the first “new moon” tomorrow night, think about the early Christians who celebrated that occasion with special offerings.  And if you ever wonder why Easter is “so early” or “so late” in the spring, well, now you know.

The moon was created by our Almighty God, and the phases of the moon were all part of his plan. Genesis 1:16-17 On the Fourth Day. . . God made two great lights: the greater light to rule by day and the lesser light to rule the night. And he made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.

Praise the Lord for his wonderful gifts.

Judy