Creator of Light and Darkness

Thursday, January 24, 2013  -- Week of 2 Epiphany (Year One)
Ordination of Florence Li Tim-Oi
First Woman Priest in the Anglican Communion, 1944

[Go to http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html for an online version of the Daily Office including today's scripture readings.]

Today's Readings for the Daily Office
     (Book of Common Prayer, p. 944
Psalms 37:1-18 (morning)       37:19-42 (evening)
Isaiah 45:5-17
Ephesians 5:15-33
Mark 4:21-34

I am the LORD; there is no other.  I form light and create darkness, make prosperity and create doom; I am the LORD, who does all these things. (Isaiah 45:6b-7)

God is the creator of everything.  And that must include everything, including suffering and darkness.  St. Augustine used an analogy about painting to discuss this reality.  For a painting to have life, there must be contrast -- there must be shade as well as light for a painting to exist.  For love to be -- for it to be free -- the possibility of refusal to love must be as well. 

The creation is good and wonderful overall.  But within it is suffering and death.  The scripture insists that God created all of it.  And the story of Jesus insists that God is intimately within its darkness and suffering, bringing life out of death, light out of darkness.

God risks our rejection in order to create in us the potential for love.  In Christ, all of our rejection of divine love is reconciled, and God returns to us only love.  As Paul says, "In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ."  (1 Corinthians 15:22)

Lowell
___________

Audio podcast:  Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week.  Go to: http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id244.html

About Morning Reflections

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.

Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at http://www.missionstclare.com/english/index.html

Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location

-- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church

is to explore and celebrate

God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life: 

We aspire to...

    worship weekly

    pray daily

    learn constantly

    serve joyfully 

    live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Fayetteville, Arkansas