I had a bit of time this morning before choir practice began, so I went outside to enjoy the morning sunlight. Being at the western edge of the time zone, the sun had just risen for us in Michigan. This picture shows the lovely morning light on the east wall of the sanctuary. “Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning, born of the one light Eden say play.” Standing in the morning light, I felt a deep sense of peace and gratitude for the gift of life.
Later, during worship, I offered a prayer that borrows imagery from our recent snowfall:
You blanket the earth with snow, God. Your snow covers the ground, rests on tree limbs. The beauty of snow reminds us of your beauty. The sight of it awakens praise in us. We thank you for the loveliness of your creation, for the beauty of each season.
Yet what we see is only a sliver of all that you have made. You have set stars and galaxies in motion. The whole universe, immensely old, is full of your handiwork, with you yourself older still. Before all things, before all time, you are God.
The thing about you, God, that most astonishes us is that you know us. You know each of us, even though we are so tiny and vulnerable compared to the vastness of all that you have made. You know us, you care about us, you watch over us, you stay with us. This is the mind boggling thing, your knowledge of us.
You know when we sit, when we stand, when we lie down. You know our thinking even before it appears in our minds. All the days set out for us are written in your book before they even come to pass. When we are perplexed, at our wit’s end, you know it. When we are in physical pain, you know it. When we are scared, you know it. When we are dancing for joy, you know it. Our laughter, our tears, our smiles are all known to you.
Come to us afresh today, O God, with your beauty, your love, and your great strength. Fill our limbs and our lives with your healing presence. Let us rest easily in your knowledge of us, your care for each of us.
There are echoes of Psalm 139 in this prayer, as well as 1 Corinthians 8:3, “If someone loves God, then they are known by God.” The latter was part of the morning scripture that the senior pastor preached on.

























