The 40th anniversary of the moon landing gives us an opportunity to look at an interesting example of someone bringing their faith to work. Shortly after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, Aldrin conducted a communion ceremony inside the Lunar Module.
I was a space fan as a kid when the Apollo program was in full swing, but I didn’t learn about this personal religious event until I read about it in volume 2 of Bill Bennett’s America, The Last Best Hope. A Washington Post writer comments on it as he reflected on the 40th anniversary.
Aldrin brought wine and bread with him. He poured the wine into a cup and broke the bread. He asked Mission Control for silence so he could pray.
In a secular culture, Aldrin’s actions sound unusual, but I think they are appropriate for someone who has just arrived in a new world. After the flood in Genesis, we are told that Noah made an altar where he offered sacrifices to God. (Gen. 8:20) I would be willing to bet Christopher Columbus and later, the Pilgrims, made gestures of gratitude toward God upon landing in America.
“Eucharist,” the word many Christians use to refer to the sacrament of communion, comes from the Greek word that means “grateful” or “thankful.” It is entirely appropriate that Aldrin would be thankful to God for their safe travel to the surface of the moon.
Although communion rituals are unusual at work, gratefulness and thankfulness should not be. Particularly during recession where the unemployment rate in many states is north of 10 percent, employed folks should be grateful for their work. God provides for us through work (our own and others), and that is no small thing.
No matter where you go to work -– an office, a construction site, a school, a hospital, or even the moon –- take a moment to give thanks to God.
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