Good morning…
“Sue,” she emailed me, “I wanted to share this ‘heavenly’ picture of the full moon that I took this week after some storm clouds had passed through. I was awestruck by what I was seeing. It is from a back deck at the beach on the longest day of the year! Use it whenever you want or when a moonlight passage inspires you!”
This gorgeous moonlight photo piques my curiosity, so I google “What is the longest day of 2021?” June 21st I discovered is the correct answer, an ordinary day which occurred earlier this week.
As dark storm clouds have passed through our collective lives, I look up to experience more light in our darkness.
“Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, meaning Sun and sistere, meaning to come to a stop or stand still,” I learn from an article entitled 11 Things About the June Solstice. “On the day of the June solstice, the Sun reaches its northernmost position, as seen from the Earth. At that moment, its zenith does not move north or south as during most other days of the year, but it stands still at the Tropic of Cancer. It then reverses its direction and starts moving south again.”
“The opposite happens during the December solstice,” the article adds. “Then, the Sun reaches its southernmost position in the sky – Tropic of Capricorn – stands still, and then reverses its direction towards the north.”
For some random reason, I think of the word metronome. Wikipedia tells us: “A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure”) and νέμω (némo, “I manage”, “I lead”), is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats per minute (BPM). Metronomes may include synchronized visual motion. Musicians use the device to practice playing to a regular pulse.”
Creating a rhythmic symphony with the sun and the moon, God keeps time, day and night, summer and winter, year after year.
“I lead, I manage, I measure time,” God whispers to us on this Sabbath of summer rest. “Please come to a stop, stand still, and trust me to reach my zenith, before I reverse directions, moving again to my own synchronized pulse.”
The day and the night are both Yours— You fashioned the sun, moon, and all the lights that pierce the darkness (Psalm 74:16, VOICE). We are each invited to play our own sacred music to the beat of our LORD.
…Sue…
