“Then God said, Let there be light; and there was light. God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”
Genesis 1: 1-4 (NRSV)
I am a morning person who relishes an early sunrise and regrets the need for artificial light at 6 am. For me January 11, not December 21, is the day for celebration on my solstice calendar.
Until the 10th of January, sunrise at the latitude in central Iowa stays at 7:41 am. All minutes of light added since December 21 appear in the evening. I wonder. Was the 2nd day of creation one minute longer or shorter in the morning?
Just for fun I’ll pay attention to sunrise times for the next couple of weeks and then forget about it until next year. Like everyone else I’ll turn on a lamp if it is still dark when the alarm clock rings in January. I know spring is on the way. Sunrise will be earlier tomorrow.
The opening action in Genesis isn’t about the ratio of light and darkness on a particular date but the power of God to create and transform 24/7 regardless of the calendar. Unlike other energy sources God’s ON switch doesn’t shut down while we sleep or go off line in a storm.
Prayer:
Creator God, help us to be as grateful for your presence in darkness as we are in the light of day. Amen
Question:
What will I see tomorrow of God at work during the night that wasn’t visible today?
Written by Nancy Alice Morton
The Bridge Meditations 