UFOs
My husband Darrell and I had a chance to get away last week to the far end of the Bay-Bridge Tunnel. We spent much of our vacation distancing from the rest of humanity by meandering outdoors, sometimes at a coastal state park on nearly-secret trails through a bald cypress swamp. On one of our hikes, we stepped off the wetland boardwalk and onto a mulched pathway hugging the edge of a Chesapeake Bay tributary. We watched a couple of geckos scramble for cover before noticing a shadowy pattern interrupting the sunlight. We looked up… and up… and up to a deluxe nest built at the tiptop of a scruffy, former tree. Two winged-creatures sailed by in the sky. By the time we could point-and-shoot our phones’ cameras, the birds had flown a distance from the nest and out over the water.
We were pretty sure they were not bald eagles. We had been fortunate to see a pair of them the day before. We took into consideration the clues at our disposal—our geography; the fact that the nest was in a dead tree as opposed to a living one; and that the name of the path we were hiking on was “Osprey Trail”—and concluded that the Unidentified Flying Objects were, indeed, ospreys. I guess that makes them IFOs—Identified Flying Objects.
In any case, they were large birds of prey, and to watch them soar on the air currents with more ease than the parasailers gliding nearby on the Atlantic side of the park was a thrill.
Speaking of what else can be seen when looking up, various news outlets have recently reported that UFO sightings rose sharply in 2020, with the greatest spike having come in upstate New York during March and April. As someone who finds TV shows like The X Files and Stranger Things to be immensely entertaining, my pulse quickened at such news. And then it slowed back down again when it was pointed out that, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, the period in which the number of sightings doubled happened to match the period in which New Yorkers (and the rest of us) were confined during The Pandemic’s early days. One explanation is that people simply had more time to pay attention to what was going on around them, and so they spent more time simply gazing up. Another explanation is that many city dwellers left NYC during that stretch and found themselves away from light pollution for the first time in their lives, and so they could suddenly visualize objects in the night sky in ways they never had before—birds, bats, satellites, planes, and drones. What a mundane resolution. And yet, it’s good to know that people can still be stirred to curiosity by that which is mysterious.
I like it when human beings get stumped. I like it when human beings don’t have ALL the answers, and I like it even more when human beings REALIZE we don’t have all the answers. I like it when human beings recognize that there is more to living than we often think there is. I like it when human beings feel a little bit small, a little bit off-kilter, a little bit uncertain of our own certitude, a little bit humbled.
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my plans than your plans.
Isaiah 55: 9 (CEB)
Looking up,
Pastor Chris
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Worship Opportunities at College Hill Moravian Church
April 18, 2021– 10:00 AM
Livestream on YouTube by searching for College Hill Moravian Church
Parking Lot Worship
When weather permits, we’ll have outdoor speakers set up in the church parking lot. If you bring along a lawn chair, you’ll be able to sit outside your vehicle and listen to the worship service. Please wear a mask and maintain a safe distance from those who live outside of your bubble.
Virtual Activities
Virtual Fellowship Time on Zoom – Sundays at 11:30 a.m.
Everyone is welcome! Whether you’ve become a “regular” at these gatherings, or you’re thinking about dropping by for the very first time, please use the Zoom link below, or join by phone if you do not use a device with a screen.
To join by computer, tablet or smart phone, please go to
To join by phone (no video), dial:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 998 3134 7702
Zoom Prayers–Sundays at 6:30 p.m.
We offer Zoom Prayers on Sunday evenings at 6:30. We come together to share simply in intercessory prayer on behalf of our congregation, community, and world. We usually conclude by 7:00 p.m. All are welcome!
To join by computer, tablet, or smart phone, please go to
To join by phone (no video), dial:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 919 6174 3369
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