Sunshine

Yesterday, we celebrated "Sonshine Sunday," referring to the SON, Jesus, who shines for us. We tried to create a summer feeling to bring some light and warmth in the midst of this cold, dark winter!

The theme was based on Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

I explained how this Psalm was an intricately crafted work of art, a poem of praise about God's word. It celebrates the fact that God's word gives us guidance and wisdom, at any age. 

I also tried to encourage people to read the Bible, to take some time with it. There are passages that we will struggle with, because they seem boring, because we don't understand them, or because we are appalled by their brutality. 

And yet there is beauty and truth to be found in this dear, old book. Some passages we will only understand with background information about their cultural context. Others will jump right out at us and speak to us as if they directly were written for us.

What I enjoyed most was the conversations I had after worship. People had brought their own Bibles and shared their history with me: When they were given to them and by whom, what was written or marked in them. 

Others told me why one particular verse was meaningful to them, or asked for some more information. 

This, I believe, is what God's word is intended for: To inspire conversations between people of faith. To give us something to work with. Something to wrestle with at times, something to learn from, and something to talk about. 

Faith is a complicated matter! At the end of the day, we each need to figure it out for ourselves. But it is good to know that we are not alone. That others are on the same path: trying to get closer to God. Trying to tap into that sun that rises anew for us every morning, that shines for us even when we cannot see it. 

"God is my sunshine, my only sunshine. God makes me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much God loves you and won't take your sunshine away." (Original words by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell, adapted by Valeria Schmidt.)