30th July 2019

Area 51 is a military base in the Nevada Desert which, according to some, holds many intriguing secrets from far-away worlds. Conspiracy-theorists have always held that the 1969 moon landing was filmed in one of the hangers, while others swear that alien corpses lie encased in military-morgues. Residents who live in the vicinity are preparing for an invasion of space-junkies in September who plan to storm the area to find out the truth once for all.

Christians also know of a place called Area 51. A place of dark secrets; but secrets revealed and disclosed on purpose. Area 51 is a song in the Book written by King David, which contains on the title page a short summary of a very sordid affair that once happened in his kingdom. In fact, it was David himself who was the subject of the affair, and the song-script expresses his public confession and sorrow.

What Christians find precious, is that there is something alien about the song. Not of the Nevada kind, but of the kind that comes from another world, and that can forgive sin. An alien grace. “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean,” said David, referring to the blood of the sacrifice that the hyssop plant soaked up and sprinkled. It was a sacrifice that anticipated Another, who would secretly enter this world by incarnation, and then bleed to make his grace known. And the more that storm that sacred area, the better.

DM 30^th July 2019