Seth Udinski, FISM News
On Wednesday, Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew-5 mission lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, en route to the International Space Station. The launch of the four-man team carries great historical significance in the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian War and heightened tensions between Russia and the West.
For the first time since 2002, a Russian cosmonaut is teaming up with American astronauts on an American crew. Anna Kikina, a Russian cosmonaut from the Russian Roscosmos space group, lifted off alongside American Commander Nicole Mann and American Josh Cassada. Japanese spaceman Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency rounded out the four-man crew.
Commander Mann reported from orbit in the space capsule, known as Endurance, that the liftoff went without a hitch. “That was a smooth ride uphill … you got three rookies that are pretty happy to be floating in space right now,” she relayed to space command.
The trip is doubly historic, as Commander Mann is also the first Native American woman to fly in space. She said this past weekend,
I am very proud to represent Native Americans and my heritage. We’re all from very unique, different backgrounds. We all came from different educations and different job specialties. And it’s really great to see everyone coming together.
The crew is expected to arrive at the International Space Station on Thursday after a 29-hour journey.
Author’s Biblical Analysis:
The cosmos carries with it many visual reminders of God’s glory. We cannot help but look at the stars in the sky, innumerable as they are, as well as the vastness of the sky itself and the beauty of the heavenly bodies, and think of Psalm 19:1:
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
But there is perhaps an even greater encouragement to be seen from this report, where astronauts from diverse countries and ethnicities are coming together for a common cause.
While it is always encouraging to see a display of unity on earth, it also casts our thoughts toward eternity, where true unity will be beheld by all believers. The Bible tells us this — Christ is redeeming His Church, which includes believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation.
The gospel is more powerful than cultural divides, distance, language barriers, and even war between nations.
The international space community has met a remarkable achievement with this SpaceX launch, which is bringing astronauts from enemy nations together to further explore the final frontier. The inclusion of Anna Kikina on the American-led Crew-5 mission is profound, considering the fact that her home country has drawn the ire of almost the entire free world thanks to its attack on Ukraine.
The tension between the United States and Russia is more palpable than at any time since the Cold War, with many fearing the conflict in Ukraine will escalate to a nuclear level and bring about World War III. Yet SpaceX has brought people from enemy countries together to work and serve side by side in space.
If SpaceX can do this in the midst of a war, imagine what the Lord Jesus Christ can do.
And He already has done it. Believer, this very moment there is a great cloud of witnesses with the Lord in glory urging us to run the race to the very end (Hebrews 12).
In that great throng of glorified believers are representatives of every people, tribe, language, and tongue on earth and throughout all human history. While it does not include all people from human history (we are told in Matthew 7 that wide is the road to destruction and many find it), every people group in human history will be represented among the saints.
All of these believers, of which we are included, are united not by their own inherent righteousness, religious denomination, or national superiority.
We are united under the Gospel.
Believers of all nationalities, ethnicities, socio-economic spheres and abilities are all unified in one common factor: We are sinners who have been saved by the grace of God, shown in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
All believers should seek unity in Christ here on earth. His kingdom and purposes must be our driving goal and take preeminence over all the other dividing factors that so easily creep into the body of Christ. Our God is one and there should be no division in the body of Christ based on any superficial factor.
We also know that the unity we strive for now will be complete on the other side of eternity.
Take courage in what is waiting for you in glory. Not only will you be in the presence of God, reunited with those you loved in life who also loved Christ, but you will also meet your brothers and sisters in Christ face-to-face, from all history and all nations. What a celebration in glory it will be!
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9-10