The morning is cool. It is dark except for silver clouds that hide the full moon. As I watch the clouds roll away, the mountains come into view bathed in shimmering light. The light of the moon is so bright it casts shadows. It is a spectacular scene. I am again amazed at how differently the same scene can appear. Each day it is different, yet the same. Much like God…He is so varied that the view of him and his love has unending dimensions, yet he never changes. It is one of the numerous dichotomies that make him who he is. This morning I am taking communion in order to be with him. I watch his handiwork while I sit still to hear his heart for the day.
Drawn to the light of the moon…I think. A big glowing rock in the sky…how crazy does that sound. It does not have light of its own. It simply reflects. The surface is unimpressive…nothing spectacular. But when the sun hits it there is no stopping the luminous glow as it flows like a silver river. I watch the effect of the light on my surroundings. When the clouds roll back, the complete darkness disappears…now there are outlines of objects…trees, mountains, and valleys. The moon…the floating rock is illuminating everything around.
Then as I watch, the sun makes its appearance behind me. I do not see the sun, rather its effects. The sky is split. The mountains blush, and the moon fades in the brilliance of the sun. One moment. Night becomes day in one moment. Today’s lesson hits me in that same moment…I am the moon. Unimpressive on my own…nothing spectacular really, yet when I reflect the Son my surroundings change. The darkness dissipates. He puts me in dark places in order to shine and reflect. But just so I do not forget and think the light source is something for which I am responsible, he shows up. As bright and brilliant as the moon is, when the Son arrives the moon pales. The Son takes center stage. All is made known and there are no longer shadows. All bow. I know that I am simply a rock, made beautiful by his transforming light.