January 4, 2021

Isaiah 60:1 Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God’s bright glory has risen for you. (The Message Bible)

This is what the Message Bible does with what the pew Bibles in our church have as “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” It has been many years ago now, but I can still remember how difficult it was to get back into the swing of getting up early again for school after Christmas vacation. Staying up late and sleeping the morning away seemed like the best thing back then and being roused early to return to educational activities seemed too cruel for words. As the years advance, I find my best time to be in the early morning and look forward to getting in bed at night. Most days hold a certain anticipation for what may be accomplished in those hours and it feels good to get at it. There may have been times in 2020 when you would have been happy to sleep the pandemic away; to pull the covers over your head and wait there until the world returns to normal. With the roll out of the vaccine we have hope that there is an end to all this somewhere down the road. Will you be ready when it comes? God’s people are always being called to be alert to the possibilities of what God may do. “Get out of bed! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God’s bright glory has risen for you.”