I was haunted by this picture that was hanging above the stage at the LWML Convention in Des Moines. Depending on the perspective it could be the twilight of the church, or the sunrise for the church. Depending on the way the church is oriented it could be morning or evening.
So let’s say it is twilight for the church. The Jews looked at twilight as the beginning of the day. It was the time of peace and meditation and looking over the events of the day in light of God’s mercy. The early church picked up on that with the beautiful hymn –
Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of Light,
The universe proclaims your glory.
If the church is in its twilight and only has a future of persecution and suffering it still has a victorious Lord and Salvation.
Events like the LWML Convention give us the hope that it may be morning for the church and her witness to Christ will shine over all the earth until Christ comes again.
What a neat perspective – thank you! Nice reflection to look back on that mountain top experience.