Christmastide

January 4, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 1:1-5
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Wind and water, light and dark are phenomena know to most. Our best way of describing a mystery is often wrapped in the familiar. During the summer, the sun wakes me. In the winter months, I reach to turn on a light before I arise from my bed. To know God, we must be aware of God’s existence. The beginning of that knowledge comes with the creation of light. God provides and shares light for us, and God implants in us the ability to communicate and create light for ourselves and others. The story of creation attests to God’s desire to live in relationship with entities that desired to relate to God.

Humankind can be very fickle in relating to God. Ours is often a one-way street. We seek God when we need God. Our relationship would be much richer and more fulfilling if we maintained consistent contact with God. A part of my car’s purchase agreement was that I would bring it for regular checkups every six months for the first three years I owned it at no cost to me. I have a similar plan for which I pay, that provides routine checkups of my heat and air system. My health insurance includes annual medical and dental checkups because it is cheaper for them and better for me if health problems are caught and treated early.

I consider it a blessing that God was introduced to me in my childhood as my friend. It made it easier for me to mature into a richer relationship with God as an adult. On the other hand, I know people who became acquainted with God as adults who highly value knowing God. The one thing we must never do is take God for granted even though that is God’s promise.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for your care and abiding love for us. Forgive us when we pull away for you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.