Today, June 20, 2024, is the first day of summer for the earth’s northern hemisphere. In fact, it arrived at 4:51 p.m. eastern time this afternoon! Usually, we don’t celebrate the summer solstice until June 21st and the winter solstice until December 21st. While it is true that changes to our calendar relative to the position of the sun and orbit of the earth has moved up the official start of summer, 2024 marks the earliest summer solstice in the northern hemisphere since June 20, 1796. That means the last time we had summer start this early, George Washington, our Founding Father of the United States, was in his second term as President.
It is kind of interesting to study some of the things that are represented by the summer solstice. For example, people refer to the start of summer as the longest day of the year. But, frankly, days are the same length, so it doesn’t make sense to say that June 20th or June 21st is the longest day of the year. Rather, the timing of the start of summer has to do with the position of the sun in the sky.
In fact, we can even make, with certainty, comments about the earliest sunrise or latest sunset on this day. The earliest sunrise has already occurred on June 14th and the latest sunset will occur in a week, on June 27th.
To some, the sun may very well appear to be directly overhead at the exact time of the solstice. That is, if you live along the Tropic of Cancer, (latitude 23.5 degrees north of the celestial equator). North of that, the sun isn’t directly overhead but it came close in Boston this year when it was 71 degrees north of the southern horizon. The duration of sunlight for most of us today will be about 15 hours, 17 minutes.
Another oddity about the time of the solstice is that it takes longer to get fully light and fully dark. Twilight, both in the morning and the evening, is approximately two hours or so for most of us and it is only fully dark for about five hours. Interesting, isn’t it? In fact, if you are traveling to the Caribbean, you may even be amazed at how quickly it gets dark compared to those of us who are in the mid latitudes of the United States.
Conversely, the farther north you go, the longer twilight exists. I was reading a post from Sue Aiken of Life Below Zero fame. She lives far north of the Arctic Circle and she announced that they will not have another sunset until August 27th! So they are entering that season of the year with light 24 hours a day. Eventually, the reverse will happen this winter – 24 hours of darkness for several months. No thank you! It was tough enough when we visited Alaska years ago to try and sleep when the sun was shining brightly at midnight!
There are also several places around the world that take a particular interest in the summer solstice. Stone Henge, in England, is a hot spot for those who wish to usher in the summer season.
Of course, God is so precise and accurate that it is possible for our scientists to predict, with great accuracy, when these various celestial events will occur. Just as we knew when the total solar eclipse was going to happen earlier this year, God’s timing and precision is unmatched in all the cosmos.
By the way, if you are out under the stars tomorrow night, you can witness the “Strawberry Moon” that will be the biggest and lowest that we had had this year. Also, it is the first full moon of summer. Evidently, this particular full moon is referred to as the “Strawberry Moon” to coincide with the short strawberry harvest season that occurs around this time each year.
Our verse for tonight comes from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. He gives us the words of God the Father. The LORD tells us, in Isaiah 48:13, “My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together.” Clearly, Isaiah tells us that God created everything and that He is in control. Not only that, but Isaiah wants us to know that nature and everything in it works at the request and command of God.
My encouragement this evening is that God created the heavens and the earth as a place to commune with us in perfect harmony. Unfortunately, with the Fall in the Garden of Eden, things had to change. My prayer is that eventually we won’t need the sun or the moon as God Himself will provide the light for us throughout all eternity. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…