We are still in the liturgical season of Epiphany, a season that speaks of increasing light for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere at least. It is the season that precedes Lent which focuses on our need for redemption. The contrast between the two seasons is stark, and we may ask how can we have increasing light when it is still so dark.
The darkness of the early morning is a time to take stock of our plans for the coming day, to consider how our actions will reflect the Gospel we espouse. We should ask ourselves: what did I do yesterday to help bring God’s realm to fruition? What can I do today? What we do does not need to be monumental because every incremental step brings us closer to the light of the kingdom.
Even in the dark of the early morning, we catch glimpses of the light that is to come with the sunrise. Even in the despair and hopelessness that we sometimes feel, there can be a glimpse of the light of hope.
Prayer for the Day
Illuminator of the skies, open your Presence to us,
For we sometimes lose heart as we struggle in our daily lives;
More buttressed by our fears than buoyed by your promise,
We need the dawn that comes with the morning.
Embrace us so we can live in expectation of your light,
And hold us so we do not fall back into the dark.
In the name of the One who is your light,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.
- Jodi Picoult, American writer
Only in the darkness can you see the stars.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., preacher, prophet (1929-1968)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and al that is within me, bless God’s holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget the goodness of God,
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with kindness and mercy,
Who satisfies you with good as long as you live,
And renews your youth like the eagle.
Psalm 103: 1-5