When I watched videos of the Ariane rocket launching the Webb Space Telescope, my thoughts went back to the beginning of my book Visions of the Church where I described the Saturn V Moon Rocket launching Apollo 13.  I wrote:

Unless you knew the truth, you would never believe that the Saturn V Moon Rocket could budge an inch—much less journey through the heavens. It stood 363 feet tall—about six stories higher than the Statue of Liberty.

It weighed six million pounds. Only a fool could think that something that big could move.

And unless you knew the truth, you would never believe that the Church could last a day—much less last two thousand years.

Jesus was dead. His disciples hid in fear.

One of them, Judas Iscariot, had betrayed him. One of them, Peter, had denied him.

Only a fool could think that people so weighed down by sin could hope to reach heaven.

Even so, despite such doubts, the Saturn V Moon Rocket launched towards the heavens on a pillar of fire amidst billows of smoke.

And, despite such doubts, the Church launched out towards heaven on tongues of fire when the Holy Spirit filled the followers of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost . . ..

The key was the hidden power that moved the Saturn V Moon Rocket and the hidden power that moved the Church.

The Moon Rocket defeated the power of gravity by exploding chemicals inside the rocket.

Jesus defeated the power of sin through his sacrificial death and his Resurrection. The shed blood of Jesus was the rocket fuel for his church.

As foretold by an Old Testament prophecy:

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. . . .

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;

   the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,

   and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

   each of us has turned to his own way;

   and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

     (Isaiah 53:4-6)

The Webb Space Telescope pressed on to reach the best place for it to serve its purpose—LaGrange Point 2. (See my blog “The Webb Space Telescope—Reaching the Place of Service!”).

Likewise, in our lives, we must press on to reach the best place for us to serve our purpose of saving, finding and restoring others. (Philippians 3:13-14).

Likewise, in our lives we must press on to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim freedom for the prisoners, restore sight to the blind, set the oppressed free, and proclaim this time of the LORD’s favor! (Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2 (see Septuagint); Isaiah 58:6).

But first, we must overcome the weight of whatever sins, despair, confusion, fears, doubts, and failures are hindering and entangling us. (Hebrews 12:1).

How can we “liftoff” despite the weight of so many things weighing us down?

The Saturn V Moon Rocket and the Webb Space Telescope found the power to liftoff by harnessing the power of chemicals.

To “liftoff” in our lives, we must harness the power of the shed blood of Jesus Christ so that we can travel heavenward on tongues of fire from the Holy Spirit!

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For additional thoughts arising from the Webb Space Telescope, please read my blogs “The Webb Space Telescope—Reaching the Place of Service” and “The Webb Space Telescope—Years of Preparation”.

In my book Visions of the Church (published together in one volume with my book Visions of America), I use the troubled—but ultimately triumphant—flight of Apollo 13  as the narrative thread to provide an overview of 2,000 years of Church history in a mere 80 pages.

In my book Hoping in the LORD, I describe how the resurrected Jesus enabled his followers to overcome the weight of their sins, despair, confusion, fears, doubts, and failures. See the chapters “As Mary Cries, Jesus Comes and Calls Her by Name”, “A Healthy Jesus Walks to Emmaus”, “Jesus Tells the Disciples, ‘Peace Be with You’”, “Jesus Overcomes the Doubts of Doubting Thomas”, and “Jesus Encourages Peter to Take Care of His Sheep”, at pages 309-333.