"Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee..."
For just about anyone who has spent much time around church, these words that begin one of the bedrock hymns of the Christian faith roll easily off the tongue. Ever wonder where that phrase "no shadow of turning" comes from? I'm so glad you asked! It's the King James translation of a New Testament Greek phrase,
tropes aposkiasma,
that shows up in our Scripture for this coming Sunday. In the first chapter of James, the author affirms that beyond a shadow of a doubt, the character of God is unchanging. God is good. God is generous. God is loving. God is faithful.
In my time of study preparing for Sunday, one theologian had this to say:
"God's benevolence is like a light which cannot be extinguished, eclipsed, or shadowed out in any way at all. The light of the sun may be blocked, for example, by some material object, so as to cast a shadow: indeed, for a time in an eclipse, the direct light of the sun may be shut off from the observer. Nothing like that can block God's light."
How great is that!
I hope you got to enjoy the experience earlier this week of a solar eclipse that was the first full one to be seen in this country in a long time. As awesome a spectacle as that was, even more awesome is the news that nothing can block out God's light. This seems particularly good news this week. May each of us both take comfort in the light of God always available to us and take action as followers of Christ, called to carry that light to a broken world.
See you Sunday!
Steve
Note: There are two courses that still have openings for the fall season. Both are great opportunities to grow your faith. Alpha offers a safe place to ask all kinds of questions and gain a deeper understanding of the basics of the Christian faith. Disciple is a more intensive class that is well-suited for anyone who wants to read the Bible and deepen their commitment to being a follower of Christ. Go
here to learn more and get registered.
