THE recent eclipse of the moon was, judging by the photos (thought not by personal experience), plainly obvious, dominating the night sky. But telescopes, such as the Hubble, give us a panorama of millions of stars, the vast majority of which are many light years away.

The Lord's Prayer refers to our Father as being in heaven and the creeds refer to God as Almighty, in charge of this great universe. But it is sometimes hard to grasp the two concepts together. "Loving Father" is far more on our level than "Almighty Creator".

Faith is a lot easier when the God we think of matches human experience. But many people find the concept of the universe rules out any belief in a personal God, the people we call atheists. Others find the concept is just too hard to accept as fact, they just don't know. These people we call agnostics.

It was one of them, whose wife had recently died, who took it for granted that I am a committed Christian and said to me: "It is alright for you, you have got faith." This surprised me and left me wondering about this faith I have taken for granted over many years.

Can I believe that there is a God who is responsible for this vast universe, but who at the same time cares for individuals as a loving father?

There is much far beyond our understanding as mere humans. Far too often people in their minds try to put God into a little box and hope he will behave and do what we ask when we want. This is not the God we call Almighty Father. We need humility to acknowledge this and to accept the challenge of putting our faith in him.

The Rev Roger Smith

Retired vicar, Cross Hills