Whether you drove miles away or stayed in your neighbourhood; whether you stood outside with your protective glasses on or stayed indoors with the curtains shut… one way or another you experienced the solar eclipse on April 8th.

It’s been interesting to read the social media posts. After a quick perusal, my conclusion is that a solar eclipse, through fraught with complex physics and math, and even rich theological symbolism, beyond all that, those who witnessed the eclipse in its totality described it as the most beautiful natural phenomenon they’ve ever experienced.

And further, some would say that the existence of such beauty is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of a beautiful, glorious God.

Theologian and Oxford University academic John Owen wrote this in the 1600’s:

When the sun is under a total eclipse, it loses nothing of its native beauty, light, and glory. It is still the same that it was from the beginning, a “great light to rule the day.” To us it appears as a dark, useless meteor; but when it comes by its course to free itself from the lunar interposition, to its proper aspect towards us, it manifests again its native light and glory.
So was it with the divine nature of Christ, as we have before declared. He veiled the glory of it by the interposition of the flesh, or the assumption of our nature to be his own; with this addition, that he took on him the “form of a servant,” of a person of mean and low degree. But this temporary eclipse being past and over, it now shines forth in its infinite lustre and beauty, which belongs to the present exaltation of his person.

John Owen's comparison of the eclipse to the veiling and revelation of Christ's divine nature is thought-provoking. And perhaps it is not altogether surprising how a natural phenomena like an eclipse can inspire such profound theological contemplation.

This idea that beauty serves as evidence for the existence of a glorious Creator is echoed by theologians and philosophers throughout history. And it is a reminder to us to appreciate the wonders of the world around us and to find joy in recognizing the handiwork of a Holy God.

Whether you experienced the eclipse firsthand or not, the message to pause, and wonder, and find joy in the Divine should resonate with us all.

So don’t wait until the next total eclipse (2026 in Spain or 2144 in Ontario!) to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, and to acknowledge the Creator behind it all.