Last week John DiStase took this sunrise photo on the way to work and posted it on his Facebook page. The following day, the women in the Monday Morning Group were scheduled to study sunrises, as described in the daily devotional published by The Upper Room. The author (Larry R. Hygh Jr.) referred to Psalm 1: The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork, and he wrote that each sunrise ‘instructs us in the nature of praise and in bearing witness to the work of God among us.’
Slow down! he warns. He describes his morning run. ‘Each day I pause near the pond and watch the sun rise while the geese take off in flight. Only God can make the sun rise each day and give new mercies every morning . . . . Take time to listen to the silent speech of the universe.’
Two side points and a challenge:
- Social media (in this case, Facebook) is a great way to ‘fellowship’ with each other in today’s busy world. Most of us know John, mostly, as the husband of Sharon Apperson DiStase and the father of a teenage daughter and twin daughters. Through Facebook, we learn that he is a guitarist and a photographer.
- The Monday Morning Group is a quintessential example of the ‘small groups’ that help adults deal with today’s busy world — they come together for prayer, study, and fellowship. On a ‘come when you can’ basis, participants discuss the past week’s devotional readings in the Upper Room devotional, and come away refreshed and reaffirmed.
Here’s the challenge:
Do you have a sunset or sunrise photo that would illustrate Psalm 19? Take a moment to appreciate the light! Send your sunrise/sunset photos — or any photo that represents a psalmist’s message — to communications@PrincetonUMC.org. We’ll post it on the church Facebook page, and thanks .. “for taking time to listen to the silent speech of the universe.’
