How far can you see?
The first day of the week exploded on the eastern horizon. The few clouds left in this winter sky were ablaze with the promise of a gorgeous new day. On the opposite horizon, the full moon slowly made its way toward its vanishing point. Growing larger with each barely perceptible slip, the blue moon was still fully illuminated in the dusk of pre-dawn. In stereo, the music of both horizons spoke of a gentle night that had past and the glory of the coming Lord’s Day. Caught between the majesty of the night’s moon and the beauty of the sunrise, I slowed my car and thought for a moment of trying to capture the event on film. It would take at least three careful clicks of the camera. What I would capture, however, couldn’t begin to do justice to this incredible moment. I decided not to stop. While some of the picture might be magnificent, this was a moment to be remembered in its richness, not abridged in a two dimensional snapshot that could not do justice to the Creator’s wondrous work on the canvas of our world. I chose instead, to ponder the wonder of God’s love for us. The God of all eternity – who spoke and made our wondrous universe and who paints each sunrise – is accessible and attentive to me. Unbelievable! I slid in Chris Rice’s wonderful song, “And Your Praise Goes On” and enjoyed a few moments of glorious praise – the praise of my heart, the praise of Chris Rice’s song, and the stereo praise of the morning. Then it hit me. God has revealed himself as “The One who is and who was and who is to come.” (Revelation 1:8) The horizon of God’s existence is sunrise, sunset, and the ground in between, all at the same time. The dynamic painting unfolding before me, behind me, and around me, was God’s canvas and symbolic of his horizon. The beginning, the end, and the now are all together in one frame. What I could only dream of capturing with my camera with three pictures, God always is. Then it hit me again. God has given us a gift to help us share his horizon. The Lord’s Supper joins us in all three dimensions: we remember Jesus’ death for us at Calvary, we discern his Body present with us as we share the Supper with others, and we anticipate his triumphant return all in the same Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:24-29) We see the moon setting, the sun rising and also live in the space between with Jesus as our Lord! For a moment, we get to step outside our shallow view of time and walk with God on his horizon. As we do, we get to anticipate that horizon one day being our own! May his glory, his comfort, his grace, and his children’s praise, go on and on!
About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.