Tuesday,
April 6, 2021
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” Revelation 22:16
Driving to the churches I serve takes close to a full
hour. After nearly 9 years I hardly think
of how long it takes; in fact it is a wonderful opportunity to be quiet and see
the rolling hills of the Piedmont Triad, to pray, and (try) to remember my sermon
points. That’s a normal Sunday. Last Sunday was not your average,
run-of-the-mill Sunday. Last Sunday was
Easter, Resurrection morning!
That Sunday always begins differently. The first part is getting up an hour
earlier. It was still pitch-black when I
left the house before 6am. By the time I
got to the new by-pass around Asheboro, driving East, the sky was showing faint
signs of dawn approaching. When I began
that long stretch of straight, uphill road, only a few miles from my
destination I was staring right at the most impressive dark sky, with only one
bright, dramatic point of light – the beautiful morning star.
I’m not an astronomer, barely having escaped High School
science with tailfeathers burning, so I wouldn’t know if it was Venus, or a supernova
without an astronomical guide. But, for
me, it was the Morningstar, and I was reminded of the Revelation’s
declaration. The bright morning
star, the prophet Daniel’s Ancient One[1] ruling from Heaven, is ancient enough to be King David’s
ancestor (source), and also heir to David’s throne. At once, and always, history, current events,
and future; here is our eternal God.
It was unsettling, heartwarming, strange, and, in some ethereal
sense, a thin place between heaven and Randolph County. That different moment spoke to my heart a
sense of serene peacefulness the soul craves…and which is largely unavailable
in any other way than as a gift from Christ’s nail-pierced hands.
The rest of my Sunday was like many before, worship service
at first church, mad-dash to get to worship service on-time at second church,
drive back to first church to pick up the coat I’d forgotten on the first pew,
picking up potatoes on the way home, quick change, 10 minute nap (OK just a
long sigh with a nap-wannabe), and then gathering dishes of food, and
heading-out for our Easter gathering at daughter, Jen’s house. There were the usual phone calls from
scattered family, too much food on the plates, hugs, laughter, remembering past
gatherings, and hearing news of what the family’s been up to. The drive home around 5:30 pm was the first
leisurely thing of my day. The thoughts
on our short ride were of leftovers, cleaning up the pots later, and just how
ridiculous that mailbox on Becks Church Road looked with a silly wooden
flamingo draped over it. These thoughts
were largely just a vague background for the overwhelming sense of gratitude I
felt for my life, and how God was so gracious to let me live it.
And, amid the random wildflowers of my thoughts, sprang-up a
beautiful rose, the picture of the bright and morning star I’d seen around 6:30
that morning, the promise of God’s presence through every day, all day, without
fail. He was there, guiding our gathering,
worshipping, and leaving to other gatherings.
He was present in the cooking, driving, potato-gathering, and every
other little detail. He was in the
prayers before our meal, and even the laughter over that ludicrous flamingo
mailbox. And I’m certain he was there
when I pulled up the covers for a much-needed night’s rest!
The bright morning and morning star shined on all of it, even
when I momentarily just didn’t think about Him.
For You Today
If it’s been a while since you
examined some of the details of your busy days, or your lonely days, or your
painful days, let the morning star’s presence shine a little light on it all;
makes for a wonderful night’s sleep!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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