Imagine the pride and sense of achievement if you were only one of a dozen people to do something really impressive, something that no-one else had ever done.
James Irwin walked on the moon ! How’s that for a lifetime achievement !
All the more surprising is that James always wanted to be in the Navy rather than the Air Force, but fate (if you want to call it that) had other ideas. Even in the Air Force James’ experience was not too impressive – rather the opposite. He was not the perfect pilot, often grounded for violations and involved in a terrible air accident which nearly killed him.
Nevertheless, at age 36, he applied for training to become an astronaut – He was rejected..
In 1966 he tried again and, with the strong support of his commanding officer, he was successful.
Apollo 11 saw Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. James trained as backup for Apollo 12 but, in the event, wasn’t needed. Apollo 13 exploded but the crew managed to return to earth safely.
In 1969 James Irwin was selected to fly to the moon as part of the Apollo 15 crew.
He spent 3 days on the moon and reported that, while there, he had an overwhelming sense of the presence of God. He was reminded of a favourite verse from the psalms -‘I lift up my eyes to the hills – whence comes my help ?’
James had made a commitment to Christ as a young boy; as a man on the moon he acknowledged God’s glory revealed in His creation.
Angels in the height adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him ! Praise him !
Praise with us the God of grace.
Verse 4 of ‘Praise, my soul, the King of heaven’ by Henry Francis Lyte Hymns and Psalms 13
Over the last 4 weeks, we have read about a police inspector, an artist, a musician and an astronaut – all bearing witness to the power of personal testimony.