WRITINGS

The Sun's Coming Up

Did you see the show this morning? I hope so. It was spectacular. There it was, big, bright and right on time. We knew it was coming. Several things gave it away. First of all, there was the prelude. Just as the show was about to begin the birds who'd been quiet and still for the last several hours started their songs of introduction. They must have received a cue from their conductor. Gradually, one by one the stars began their disappearing act, giving way to the real star of the show. Then it started. At first it was just a ray… then a peek. And before you knew it, there it was… bright enough and warm enough to dry the dew and melt the fog. The sun came up this morning and what a show it put on. Thing is, we were all expecting it. We all knew there would be another day.

When you last did the laundry you must have been thinking you'd be wearing it all again. Otherwise you would've just thrown the dirty clothes away. Same goes for the dishes. And believe me, I'd never bother mowing the lawn if I thought there was a real chance the grass wouldn't eventually turn to weeds.

At our house it's really hectic in the mornings. Everyone is getting ready for a day at school or work, and we usually try to do as much night before preparation as we can. We set the timer on the coffee maker, lay out the kids clothes and even do pre-prep on the kid's school lunches. At the Bishop house, we expect the sun to come up at its usual time or else we wouldn't bother to set the alarm. So we're really not surprised when it actually happens. (Even though it would be nice if it didn't happen so early.)

So we wash and mow and clock in and shave and shower and study and answer email because we're pretty sure the sun's gonna come up in the morning. If we didn't believe it we'd all stink, live in a jungle, be clue-less and dwell in a cyber world full of people thinking we're too big for our britches. As Christians we read our Bibles, have our devotions and pray because we still expect the sun to come up in the morning. If we didn't we would have a shallow relationship with God empty of His promises and a stinky spirit.

Now I can hear someone saying, "Kenny, how can you be so sure the sun is coming up tomorrow? Don't you know the Lord is coming back at any minute and we just may not be here in the morning."

As far as I'm concerned that doesn't change a thing. Whether it's the sun or the Son, there will be a dawning come tomorrow. And since we're so sure of it we probably ought to carry on with the business of faith and family. After all, once the Son appears on the horizon all the chores of the earth dweller will cease and things we once just believed in will be as tangible and touchable and just as real as the fact that the sun or the Son is coming up in the morning.

Did you catch the show this morning… the sunrise? If not there's another performance scheduled in just a few hours. If you've seen it before you know it's worth seeing again because every show is just a little different. Then there's the one with no repeat performances. It's a one time only event. Believe me, you really won't want to miss the Son rise.