Even when the sun seems to have disappeared on another cold winter day, Pastor Chris reminds us that the sun never leaves us. It’s still there…
“The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19)
I’ve always been fascinated at cloudless sunny days in winter. How can it be so cold and yet so bright? It would seem to the logical mind of this western theologian that it defies the law of mutual exclusivity to need a coat on a cloudless day. In the study of logic it is always true that two mutual exclusive ideas cannot both be existent simultaneously. In other words, it cannot be day and night at the same time. The two conditions–light and darkness–are contradictory, incongruous; they are mutually exclusive. They cannot exist in the same time and location simultaneously.
So, it stands to reason that I should not need a bulky cumbersome coat on a sunny day. Right? Wrong. The presence of light, though it has the capacity to bring warmth, does not preclude the presence of cold. They are not contradictory. It can be very cold and very bright at the same time in the same place.
The opposite is just as true. I remember vividly during the first summer I lived in Arizona coming out of my well air-conditioned house at midnight and being pummeled in the face by 105 degree heat. It can be dark and yet very hot. What’s my point? It’s simple. The presence of cold gloominess in the circumstances of our lives does not preclude the presence of the light of the love of God shining brightly.
On a cold winter’s day the sun may not dissipate the coldness but it does remind you that spring will come once again. The cold may be creeping and callous but the sun doesn’t fail to shine. The cold may seep into your bones but it can do nothing to stop the shining of the radiance of the sun. The cold has not power or influence on the sun. It keeps shining.
Friend, spring is indeed coming. God has promised not only for the light of His love to invade every corner of this often cold dreary life, He has also promised that one day the spring will come in its fullness, the cold will be dispelled in a springtime that will never end! There is coming a day when His love will come so close to us when Christ returns that the light will not only flood this cold world but destroy the darkness and wintry realities of this fallen life.
Today it may be cold in your life and mine. Look up! The sun is still shining, promising and pointing to the eternal hope of believers everywhere.
Prayer: Eternal God, open my eyes to the light of grace descending into the gloominess of my life today. Open my heart to the promise of the light of Christ illuminating the darkness of this world with pure love and grace in the age to come. Amen.
About the author:
Chris Surber is the Pastor at Cypress Chapel Christian Church in Suffolk, Virginia. He is a religion columnist for the Suffolk News Herald and a contributor to various Christian publications. You can his website at http://www.chrissurber.com
Have you ever shivered in the sun? Have you ever shuttered in the arms of the Son of God? How can you see the sunlight shining in the coldness of your life?
Looking for an uplifting song this morning about the sun? Here is a Christian group called Hyper Static Union singing “Praying For Sunny Days” –I think you will be able to relate to the lyrics in more ways than one. -Lisa
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