Thought for the Week

‘Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and grey’ – so ran the words of a famous song from 1971.

The night sky has fascinated human beings from time immemorial. In our desire to understand it, we have created starry patterns in our minds like the Plough, the Bull and so on, however, the signs of the Zodiac were already known to the Babylonians in 1500 BC so that is not something new.

Today, constellations like Aries, Gemini and others continue to fascinate followers of both astronomy and astrology.

One of the most interesting star formations is the Pleiades, better known as the Seven Sisters. Positioned a little to the right of Taurus, they are an unmistakable sight in the winter sky.

Even a modest pair of binoculars will reveal that there are many more stars in that cluster than the naked eye can discern. The Pleiades along with Orion, are even mentioned in the Bible, in the Book of Job, chapter 38.31.

With the aid of binoculars these stars are a truly dazzling sight.

The Bible is a collection of books coming from the pens of many different authors over a long period of time. These books contain fascinating stories, many with moral teaching in them to guide us along the way of life.

Alas, although the Bible has sold millions of copies down the ages, it often remains unread and not consulted.

Just as binoculars can enrich our vision of the ‘starry, starry night’ so we can enrich our lives by a careful exploration of the Bible and discover what it can teach us, so, let’s look at it more closely and take time to enjoy what it has to offer.

David O McEwan, St Kiaran’s Scottish

Episcopal Church, Campbeltown.