The first lunar mission to leave the Earth’s orbit was Apollo 8. The men on this mission were the first to observe Earthrise. In 1968, on doing so, they were compelled by their faith to read the biblical account of creation (centered on Earth). This sharing of the Bible occurred on Christmas.

The reading from the astronauts present began:

 “We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you. ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…” – William Anders

NASA released the following via YouTube:

To each of you reading this, I wish you all a blessed and holy Christmas. Merry Christmas!!