Thursday, February 21, 2013

Gen. 15:1-12; 17-18; Ps.27; Phil. 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35

Genesis 15:12 “As the sun was going down,…a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon Abram.”

            Humans are basically afraid of the dark. Even farmsteads have pole lights that burn all night, counterparts to the porch lights and streetlights that pink the night in cities and suburbs. And yet, lights are counteractive to deep sleep. Left to our natural tendencies most humans will rise when the sun rises, not when the alarm shouts and shakes. Some alarm clocks now awaken with a gradually brightening light. Darkness is a time of dreams, of visions, of revelation, of deep awareness. And it is quite evident that the deep darkness that descends upon Abram in Genesis is not evil, but a darkness from God, intended to seal the covenant with Abram. Darkness is also a gift from God – for rest, for dreams, for revelation.

O God, our shelter, blessed are you for you cause darkness and light, the night and the day. May we always find ourselves held in your shelter. Amen

·         Sit in the dark for a part of your prayer time, perhaps before dawn, using the psalm verse "the Lord is my light and my salvation."