Sun Rise
How glorious is the sun.
The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvellous instrument it is, the work of the Most High. At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat? A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapours, and its bright rays blind the eyes. Great is the Lord who made it; at his orders it hurries on its course. - Sirach 43:1-5
Ancient cultures worshiped the sun. We have a much more advanced understanding of the movement of the planets, and still we say the sun rises and sets.
When clouds cover the skies and a ray of light shines through, we say the sun is trying to come out.
What is amazing is that the sun is a violent, dangerous entity, a ball of gases and chemical reactions far more powerful than anything man has created or experienced on earth. Yet, at a distance, it brings warmth and life to this planet.
This is how God works. He turns everything upside down, using what harms to bring life.
We can learn a lesson from this.
This is a violent and dangerous planet, but the natural disasters that claim lives help recycle and reclaim the earth.
This week we have heard of many tornados and rain across the country and we have a hard time believing there is anything good about that.
But we are too close. Time and distance make a difference.
So maybe the message is to step back, to give it time, and not rush to judgment.
It isn’t easy. But it may help us in our times of grief and mourning.
As we remember all who gave their lives for us to be free this Memorial Day, we should look to the sun and remind ourselves of its beauty and danger.
From a distance, it gives us more than light.
More to come...