Cool pair of lights

I’ve just cycled home with my wheel on fire. Well, almost. I have a pair of bright red lights attached to my spokes which, when turning at speed, make a truly impressive circle of fire. They’re seriously cool – and seriously safe too, as I battle the city traffic. But I know they’re only this bright because I put new batteries in yesterday. In a couple of weeks they’ll start to fade back to an anaemic pink.

But above my head this evening was an even cooler pair of lights. It’s a busy time for the planets this week, with Venus and Jupiter meeting up for a chat. Two bright lights, hanging in the sky, beckoning me onwards. I get really excited when I recognise planets – seeing things that are such a l-o-ng way away. But like my spoke lights, these will soon fade – they’re only going to be paired up like this for a few more days.

But planets always remind me of my favourite throwaway line in the Bible. It’s from Genesis 1 v 16: “He also made the stars.” God is the perfect Creator the stars point to. His power never runs out. His radiance never fades. And we know that, if we have put our trust in His Son, then we will see Him – not just for a few fleeting days like Jupiter and Venus – but for eternity in His perfect new creation – where it “does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp“ (Revelation 21 v 23).

That’s the coolest pair of lights of all!