It poured last night, but thankfully, not like it did several weeks ago. Peering out the window, the street lamp indicates it’s not raining, and the weather site on my computer says it’s going to be sunny. The temperature has dropped, now only in the high 50s, perfect for an early fall day.
Looking out the window, there are only the darker shadows of the trees. Even the birds are still asleep. The light is coming faster now, sunrise to occur before I even finish the prayer for the day. We’re so beset by clocks that we often lose the rhythm of the day, the way the morning begins to lighten with wisps of clouds in the sky.
Before clocks – there was such a time – our ancestors lived by that rhythm for good or ill. In the villages where they lived, the sound of church bells guided their days, But we’ve come so far, we tell ourselves. We have to ask ourselves in a world guided by clocks to the nanosecond, whether we’ve lost something essential in not stopping to take in the rhythm of the day.
Prayer for the Day
Filled with waking birds, the trees against the dawning sky beckon us
As we face a new day different from the day before;
The sounds of earth and sky reflect the morning now fast upon us
And we shake ourselves awake, wondering what is to come.
Grace us, O God, with your presence in our lives today
So we may reflect your care to all we encounter.
In the name of the One who is your instrument of grace,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The longest day must have its close – the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning.
Harriet Beecher Store, from Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1811-1896)
How sweet the morning air is! See how that one little cloud floats like a pink feather from some gigantic flamingo. . . . How small we feel with our petty ambitions and strivings in the presence of the great elemental forces of Nature!
Arthur Conan Doyle, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1859-1930)
Let me hear your kindness in the morning, for in you I trust.
Let me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my being.
Save me from my enemies, O Lord, with you is my vindication.
Teach me to do what will please you, for you are my God
Let your goodly spirit guide me on level ground. For the sake of your name, give me life,
In your bounty, bring me out from the straits.