Today’s Word from Pastor Jim….
“My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:6
In Biblical times people lived in walled villages, military camps were enclosed with various defensive barricades. The safety of those inside the walls was entrusted to those who were charged to watch, to watch for danger through the night, to give the darkness their full attention until the sun crested the horizon and put to bed the fears of the night.
Most of us have never been called upon to stand guard through the darkest hours of the night, maintaining a heightened awareness of our surroundings, sensing any movement among moonlit shadows, listening for the slightest out of place sounds. The night was a fearful place in the ancient world where illumination was in short supply and surprise attacks from enemies or animals were real threats. The solitude of the watch, the endless hours of tedium allowed time for vivid imaginations to spin yarns of mythical creatures who lurked in the darkness. The fear was real, though the actual threat on most nights was non-existent. Those on watch yearned for the first signs of morning, for the end of their shift and for the promise of a new day.
On occasion, we find affinity with ancient watchmen as we too yearn for the first signs of morning. Sleep does not come easy, the long-suffering hours of night become a prison cell of darkness, filled with the demons of our greatest fears. Our sentence plays out in agonizing fashion as each hour of the night slowly passes. Mythical worries and real-life problems dominate our troubled spirits, typically the threat of our ruminations is greatly exaggerated. We toss and turn, unable to find comfort in mind or body. We curse the darkness, anxiously waiting, unable to hasten the promised return of the sun. My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning.
It arrived as most blessings do, without our planning or participation. Most of us did not stay up into the wee hours of the morning to mark the promised return of the sun in real time. As we slept the seasons simply turned. Fall gave way to winter, the sun headed north and began its yearly journey, a journey that will culminate in long summer days and breathtaking Northwest sunsets. At 1:19 a.m. this morning darkness began to retreat. 2000 years ago, a star appeared in the sky above Bethlehem. We know now that the light of that star had been traveling through the cosmos for thousands if not millions of years. The birth of our Savior, not unlike our birth, came about without our planning or participation. Most of the blessings of our lives come to us as pure gifts.
I detest the darkness of winter; I don’t do darkness or silence very well. Death could be hard on me. Today, I will celebrate that at 1:19 a.m. I was reminded again that morning always comes, darkness cannot overcome light, and my entire life is lived in response to the grace that God has showered upon me.
Christmas is just around the corner my friends, follow the light to TLC on Christmas Eve and we will worship under the stars.
One beggar, telling another beggar where to find bread, I am your,
Pastor Jim
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