Here’s what I’ve been thinking today. It’s been a …
Flashy Fall
Followed by Gray…
And Gray, some White and more Gray…
Yet, amid the gray are splashes of delight to brighten one’s day.
So, I’ve been thinking maybe that’s what I can be for someone. Today’s gift. You?
Dawn, God made new day
Rejoice, be glad, be thankful
Gift wrapped in delight
Dew decked purple blooms
Delighting all passersby
Their morning mission
They visit every year around this time… mostly. Sometimes, not. When they do, it generates smiles and gets noted in the book on their page. So yesterday, totally unexpectedly, the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks returned to the bird feeder. They’ll hang around for a few days and then probably head farther north. It’s a pleasure and delight to welcome them to the neighborhood and enjoy them for a time. Yesterday’s gift. Unexpected delight!
Granted the opossum is probably a long-shot to make anyone’s list for the Michigan Wildlife Hall of Fame. However, when I passed by this critter perched on the fence next to the path on which I was walking this morning, I was momentarily in awe. A ‘possum, on a fence, just feet away, posing for me. Wow! Delightful!
On that same walk I interrupted this group having a drink in the creek. From the look they gave me, they might have been saying, “Oh, dear!” or maybe “Oh, human!” I thought, “Wow! Delightful!”
I guess we never know what may cross our paths in the course of a day. Maybe a posing possum or drinking deer can bring a smile. Then again maybe one who is dear will brighten the day and bring unexpected delight.
Today’s gift.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
This morning seemed to be a good morning to play with the sunrise.
Sunrise. Today’s gift.
“This is the day…”
Here it is. The big day has finally arrived. This is the day we’ve all been waiting for. It’s New Year’s Day! And, just maybe, by some magic of the calendar, by the flipping of the page from December to January, by walking through that door marked 2021 into a new year, we can finally put all our troubles and woes behind us. We can march onwards to a better future. This is the day…
Frankly, I’m sure this discussion has been had on many a New Years Day. Often we dial up that woe-is-me mentality and let ‘er rip. Woe and woe, trouble, heartache, you name it, we can find it at anytime, any year, no matter what the day. Negativity abounds sometimes. I know I’ve been there. The hope is that now that the new year is finally here, thing will get better. They certainly can’t get any worse.
“This is the day that the Lord has made…”
One thing I need to be reminded about over and over, especially when things aren’t going my way, is “I am not my own, but belong body and soul to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.” I know, it sounds preachy, but I can’t think of a better way to say it, than in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism. Looking backward or forward, he’s got us. Even in in our struggles and uncertainties, the Creator of heaven and earth is intimately involved with us and his creation. He is working with us and for us, often behind the scenes, and has everything under control, past present and future.
“We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Sounds like a stretch some days, but deep down when the day is over, hopefully we can look back and realize what a gift God-made days are.
So, here it is, Psalm 118:24, today’s gift.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Now I’m not going to get into a whole big astronomical ‘thing’ about the what, when, where and why of the star that led the magi to Jesus. I’ll leave that to others. Whether it was a one-time miraculous stellar event or the result of eons of God’s precise planning that brought planets and stars together, I’m not here to say.
I believe that the creator of all things, in his divine wisdom, wanted to get the attention of ancient scholars, sky gazers from the east. He wanted to introduce them to the child King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So in the fullness of time this celestial event took place and motivated these magi to travel to find Jesus. And they did. And they brought him gifts and they worshipped him.
So why am I bringing this up so many days before Epiphany, January 6, when all of this is usually celebrated? You see, one of the ideas about the ‘star’ is that there was a conjunction of planets and/or a bright star. When they all came together the result was a remarkably bright object in the sky which caught the attention of these night sky observers. Again, why am I bringing this up?
It just so happens that in a few days, December 21, 2020, to be precise, there will be a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, just before sunset, in the southwest sky. The two bright planets, ‘wanderers’ as they were called back then, will come together and appear as one really bright object. It should be quite a sight if you are favored with clear skies, an unobstructed view and catch it at the right time.
Now I’m not suggesting that after seeing this conjunction that you hop on the nearest camel and head to Bethlehem and look for Jesus. However, it just might be a good time to give some credit to God the creator for the gift of his remarkable world.
Oh, and as for looking for Jesus… he’s not that far away. He’s called Immanuel, God with us, after all. Today’s gift, to be sure!
Back in September I flippantly reported on seeing the last robin of the year. Chagrined, I’m here to say that since then I’ve seen several more of them that seem to have missed their southbound flight.
So, today, Saturday, November 28, I believe I saw the last one… again… for real. I was at the end of my walk and there perched Mr. Robin red-breast in a berry laden bunch of shrubbery, perhaps eating one last Michigan meal before heading south. It’s almost December! We’ve had snow here already! For Pete sake, it’s time to go! And I’m sure it will soon be winging to warmer climes and worm-filled unfrozen turf. If not, I’ll be sure to let you know.
*****
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26.
Today’s gift!
I walk on the same trail pretty much every morning throughout the year – spring, summer, fall and winter. As the seasons progress the creation around me changes. Plants change. Animals change. Weather changes. In one way or another things that I experience along the way change as well.
Early one morning, not so long ago, I was walking along, deep in thought. As, as we walked, God and me, for some reason I noticed there was something missing. Robins.
Some people make a big deal out of seeing the first robin of the year. No doubt they see it as a hopeful sign that winter is loosening its grip and spring is just around the corner. Maybe, for some, that first sighting gets noted in a journal, prompts a phone call to someone special or becomes a reason to bring donuts to work. I don’t know.
What I do know is that rarely, if ever, do you hear someone talk about seeing the last robin of the year. Last week, as far as I know, I saw the last robin. It was a dark morning when a small bundle of feathers skittered across the trail then fluttered into the brush. I heard a brief chirp and then it was gone. The last robin.
I’m not sure when that bird’s internal clock said it was time to head south. I’m not sure where it will end up or if it will ever come back. I don’t know the future, the robin’s or mine.
Here’s what I do know. The God who created the seasons, the plants, the robins and you and me, loves his creation. He loves us. It’s been that way since the beginning. He’s been with us all the way – in our past, right now and in our future. He knows our future because he is already in it. He’s Alpha and Omega, after all.
*****
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:26
Walk as Children of Light 