{"id":21969,"date":"2017-12-16T00:05:15","date_gmt":"2017-12-16T08:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=21969"},"modified":"2017-12-08T16:04:33","modified_gmt":"2017-12-09T00:04:33","slug":"december-16-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/12\/16\/december-16-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"December 16, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cGod\u2026 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son\u2026 Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person\u2026\u201d<\/em> Hebrews 1:1-3<\/p>\n

Brightness<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This morning I awoke early, and when I opened my kitchen blinds to see if it was cloudy or clear, I was nearly blinded by the brightness of a glorious sunrise, all oranges and pinks in great swaths across the eastern sky. I could plainly see that if it weren\u2019t for the clouds, there would be no beauty in that sight other than a common sunrise (if ever a sunrise can be called common), for the glory only comes from the sun shining on clouds.<\/p>\n

Never mind about the physics of nature that God put into motion when He created in the beginning. He made it so, and I don\u2019t need to understand it to enjoy it. He gave beauty. He made things such that when bright light plays upon the breaking clouds, we see brilliance.<\/p>\n

Oh, if only we could grasp this when our own minds and hearts are darkened by clouds! A common person (if ever a person can be called common) experiences long stretches of sameness, or storms, or emotional darkness, or mental gloom and doom and incessant drip-drip-dripping, to the point of depression, exhaustion, or at the very least irritation.<\/p>\n

But then\u2014oh glorious day! The Son, the express image of God, rises and shines God\u2019s glory on the clouds, and brings brightness and beauty into our vision. I\u2019m not saying the clouds are banished\u2014no, they have their purpose\u2014but He brings beauty and glorious hope to us as He shines on the darkness. His glory is beyond compare, far surpassing our darkness.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to see the light of a candle when you take it outside into the daylight. Bring the candle into a closed up, darkened house, and you\u2019ll see it plainly. So it is with the brightness of the Father\u2019s glory: if your life is easy and all is rosy, you may not call out to see the Father as you would if all was dark.<\/p>\n

He stands ready to answer when we call out to Him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>\u201cRise up in us, O Lord. We choose Your Light over our darkness. May our clouds be portals of bright hope for us and for those who see us, because You are shining in glory. In the beautiful Name of Your Son we pray. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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