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+ “In the beginning…God said, ‘Let there be light…” (Genesis 1:1, 3) +

We find ourselves again here in the months of summer, a favorite time for many of us.  You have some wonderful plans for these days, I’m sure, spent together with family & friends. Why not also commit yourself to making prayer & faith a more-meaningful part of your daily life? Here are a couple of ideas to help guide you:

Choose a guiding word to carry with you through the summer – and even further, if you will. Many opportunities & unknowns will present themselves, & this can be both exciting & overwhelming. Take some time to reflect on what it is that you need from God in your life right now: faithfulness or hope, patience or peace, discernment or healing, among others. Take that word that comes to mind, and write it on your heart. Write it on a piece of paper also, & put it someplace where you will see it often. Meditate on the word you have chosen, include it in your prayers, or simply repeat it to yourself whenever it comes to mind. With patience, you may start to see God working through the word that you have chosen, to bring you exactly what you need.

Or you may choose to be on the lookout for God’s activity. God is at work in our lives & in the world around us, but how often we overlook God’s work. Find a small jar or box and label it: “God Sightings.” Keep it somewhere in your house where you will see it regularly, like a bedside table or the kitchen sink. Then take a few minutes regularly to think about where you may see God: in an especially-beautiful sunset, or in some small act of kind of kindness. Did God answer a question for you, or speak to a prayer concern? Whatever God Sightings you note, write them down & put them in your container, & you just might be surprised to learn how often God shows up in your everyday life. Give it a try. God’s love shows up when we least expect it.

We have now passed the summer solstice – the longest daylight hours of the year. As the daylight hours now begin to shorten once again, even by only a minute or two per day, we recognize how much we love the light & how meaningful it is in our daily lives. After all, we do need to see what we are doing & where we are going. The light guides our way & also gives us hope. We are drawn to the light; we must seek it & follow it. We are reminded that our true light, our ultimate hope, comes from God, through Jesus our Christ, Messiah. Jesus comes into the world to bring God’s light into our lives, to be a light to the world, and his light continues to shine today. Through the Good News of the Gospel, through the movement of the Holy Spirit, through the power of hope, through everyday people like you & me, we see & reflect this love & light to one another. 

As our country celebrates its 250th birthday this month, as we enjoy & appreciate the awesome lights above us, as we view the many fireworks displays that illumine the night sky, we remember that our God is responsible for the light. Watch for the light of God’s love & hope in your everyday comings & goings, & jot down your God Sightings & put them into your container. May the light of our Christ shine deeply in our hearts & in our lives, this summer & always!

Enjoying our God with you,
Pastor Bartos +

+ “…Jesus…said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) +