This TFTD is another inspired by Rev Rach Ward’s recent visit to Bristol. The Helios sun sculpture is by the artist Luke Jerram. (His previous works include the Museum of the moon, Gaia and Mars art installations).
Helios was the god of the sun in Greek mythology, and would ride his four-horse chariots across the skies each day marking the hours and seasons.
This artwork is made at a scale of 1:200 million, meaning that 1cm of the sculpture is equivalent to 2000km of the sun ‘s surface. It allows the viewer to safely inspect the detailed surface of the sun including sunspots, spicules and filaments. It also features solar flares that were the cause of the northern lights visible to many, (I saw them in my front garden), in May 2024.
In the image with this TFTD is a model of the earth at scale, demonstrating clearly how small our world is in comparison to the sun. And when you start to think beyond this solar system, it seems incomprehensible.
Yet as Christians we believe that it is God who created not just our world and everything in it, but also everything beyond.
A recent news item on the radio was how more and more well-renowned scientists and astrophysicists are declaring that even with the Big Bang, and evolution, this does not exclude the presence of God. I personally have never had a problem reconciling science, evolution and Creation. For me the Helios art sculpture confirms that we are just the minutest speck in the magnificent work of God’s creation.
Prayer: Creator God, your majesty and magnificence goes beyond our wildest imagination. Your works are beyond our understanding, yet your grace is given freely to each individual who asks. You are the God of the infinite and the miniscule, the God of the distant and the present. We thank you God for all of your creation. May we play our small part in the immensity of your love. Amen