The Promise of Dawn
William
Loader
As sure as the sun sets,
every morning it rises,
sometimes gliding in emergent splendour into the sky,
sometimes hidden behind the mists,
the clouds enveloping the land.
Out of the darkness, light,
but can there be forgiveness from the depths of guilt?
Out of the night, day,
but can there be peace from the hopelessness of war?
Out of the deep absence, radiant presence
but can the broken soul be lifted to new beginnings?
Out of sunkenness, rising to new day
but can the Christ who gave his life live again?
Every morning beckons us to new beginnings.
Every morning invites us to care.
Every morning is a promise of hope.
We are passengers on a rolling earth,
orbiting through outer space,
spinning on its axis
as it chases night and day.
The vast reality of the universe
meets us in our darkness,
the darkness of the night sky,
and hides behind the azure blue of day.
We awake to see only what lies before us.
We sleep amid the far visions of the night.
Yet night’s transcendence sends its visitor each day,
the sun to light our path
to sustain our living
to open new miracles of growth
to encourage our hope
to lead us to the tomb of night.
Death and daring await us in the night;
pain and passion lie in wait;
awe and suspense open their great chasms,
if we will but pass the horizon of light
to see the world’s true need,
to hear the silent crying of the night,
the garden of Gethsemane where anguished souls
cry for justice and long for hope.
Then Christ meets us on our journey,
calls us to follow across the black face of God
and far flung galaxies of the night
into new horizons where hope begins anew,
stones roll and humanity finds itself again in the morning.
Awake O sleeper
and Christ shall give you light!
Behold the light has come. Hallelujah
Let us bring the depth of darkness to the light of day.
Let us bring love into the night of human need.
Let us be an Easter people. Amen