On February 20, 1962, atop an Atlas rocket, Colonel John Glenn piloted the first American manned orbital mission aboard Friendship 7, circling the globe three times. Fulfilling America’s political and scientific hopes and dreams, Glenn returned to Earth as virtually every American’s hero.
From 1974 to 1999, he served as a United States senator. In 1998, NASA invited him to rejoin the space program as a member of the Space Shuttle Discovery Crew. On October 29, 1998, Glenn became the oldest human, at the age of 77, ever to venture into space.
As Glenn observed the heavens and the earth from the window of Discovery, he said, “To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is to me impossible. It just strengthens my faith. I wish there were words to describe what it’s like.”
“By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen” (Hebrews 11:3, NLT).
“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world” (Psalm 19:1-4, NLT).
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20, NLT).
“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth” (Colossians 1:15-16, NLT).
(Jessie J. Charpentier Sr. is pastor of Jenkins Memorial Baptist Church in St. Martinville.)
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