Good morning…
“Double sunrise in Japan.” My mind woke in a haze with this strange phrase, then I drifted back into my second segment of sleep. Waking for the day, I remembered those four words, “Double sunrise in Japan.” Somehow it seemed centered on a celebration of sorts?
So my curiosity did what it so often does, I googled “Double sunrise in Japan” to see what popped up. I learned from Wikipedia that the Double Sunrise flight service was formed in 1943 to re-establish the Australia–England air link that had been cut due to the fall of Singapore in 1942. Taking between 27 and 33 hours, with departure timed so that the flight crossed Japanese occupied territory during darkness, the crews would observe the sunrise twice, which led to the service being known as “The Double Sunrise”.
What in the world does this have to do with our ordinary lives today, LORD?
Our normal bonding links have been cut due to COVID, the racial, economic, political divides stretching us to learn to love better, the sunset of one presidency and the sunrise of another, and the oddness of schools and churches, weddings and funerals, large gatherings and regular holiday happenings occupied in the light-darkness of “different.” When might the pattern of normal connections return?
This year has been a long, long flight all across our globe. I sense the second sunrise happening on our horizon, yet, as with every sunrise, illumination is an unpredictable process. Light dawns in all darkness slowly, gradually, one moment at a time. Where will we land? Certainly not where we started. Old expectations are left in our plane’s rearview mirrors.
Over the intercom comes a new phrase “Welcome to Holland.” Touch on the link below and see the fresh surprises dawning. Think with me, “As I am held up in the air of uncertainty, how do I sense my hopes shifting toward Holland?”
“No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room” (Luke 11:33-36, MSG).
…Sue…
