Rise in Perfect Light (a Steve Orr scripture reflection)

Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light. 

I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.*

 

That’s an excerpt from a poem, which on one level is about an old astronomer who, moments from the end of his life, charges his pupil to continue to pursue "the service of our science." On another level, a not-quite-so-obvious message: the old astronomer's love of God's creation.

 

The old astronomer spent a lifetime staring into the night sky, long enough to lose his fear of the night, long enough to understand something profound. Even though he was surrounded by the night, he could live as in the day. That’s because he had learned something which could benefit us all. The night is just another piece of the day, and the only piece of the day when we can see the light of other suns.

 

The entire poem points toward something the old astronomer tells his pupil in the final line. No matter how vast that darkness, how uncharted the way, "God will mercifully guide me on my way amongst the stars."

 

Like Moses speaking with God in this week’s Exodus passage, the old astronomer understood that the journey is meaningless if God does not go with us. And, conversely, if God is with us, there is nothing to fear, not even the unknowns of the night. 

 

This week’s Isaiah selection declares: "I am GOD, the only God there is. I form light and create darkness; I make harmonies and create discords. I, GOD, do all these things." And one line from Psalm 96 sums it all up: "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens."

It all belongs to God: the vastness of the universe, all the unknowns, all the light of distant suns, and all the darkness. As long as we are in the presence of the Lord, none of us need be fearful of the night. We, too, will rise in perfect light. 

 

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PHOTO:

https://nasa.tumblr.com/post/150688852794/zodiac/amp

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* The Old Astronomer to His Pupil

   —Sarah Williams (English poet, 1837–1868)

 

Read the entire poem here: 

https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Twilight_Hours_(1868)/The_Old_Astronomer

Listen to the audio version here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcEctIemPHE

 

Join us Friday morning at 8:00 for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. It’s a pleasant hour on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. We eat, read scripture, catch up with each other, and toss sermon ideas at the pastor. 

It's a daylight meeting so, please, no telescopes.

 

Blessings,

Steve

 

 **Contact me for the Zoom link

NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.

 

SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK

Find them here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=164

 

Print them from here:

https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_Proper24.pdf

 

Exodus 33:12-23

Psalm 99

Isaiah 45:1-7

Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Matthew 22:15-22

Proper 24 (29) (October 22, 2023)