“Saving Daylight??”

 

     In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep . . . Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good . . .  (Genesis 1:1-4a)

 

March in Iowa and most of the Midwest isn’t really a spring month, and most years it’s not really a winter month, either.  It’s just sort of there, hanging around with little identity.  It’s kind of like a stray dog, that no one wants to take in and care for, but no one has the heart to run off, either.  We just want to get through it and move on to a real spring month, like April. Perhaps it’s a good thing that Lent occurs during March, giving this unappreciated season purpose, even dignity, as a  significant part of the church year.

“Springing forward” to Daylight Savings Time in March doesn’t add to the month’s popularity either.  All we do is change our clocks and adjust our routines to the time the clocks indicate.  It’s not like we have a fun holiday or throw parties to celebrate.

Of course, we could engage in some light-hearted questions about the nature of saving daylight.  First of all, just how do you go about doing it?  Does it require a license, maybe some kind of special equipment or training?  Where do you store it, and how do you retrieve it?  Just think what a boost it would be to be able to pull out a few sunny hours in late November to replace a dark afternoon so typical of that season.  A sunny day is pretty much a guaranteed spirit-lifter.

The images of light and darkness are used in the early writings in the Old Testament, and reoccur over and over all the way to the end of the New Testament.  An early account of God’s use of light to lead his people is in the book of Exodus.  The people of Israel had escaped slavery in Egypt, and as Moses led them through the wilderness, God provided guidance in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  A desert night is the deepest of darkness, and that light was the assurance that God was with them.  Isaiah’s prophecy of a light overcoming darkness foretells the coming of the Messiah, and Jesus continued using these descriptions in many of his messages.

In one short lesson, Jesus describes lighting a lamp to illuminate a house, and then says:  “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”   (Matthew 5:16)

As we can’t save up natural daylight, neither is God’s light something we can save, tuck away in a lockbox, or hide in the back of a closet.  His light is the never-ending gift of grace, and we are called and privileged to share it with all people.

 

Let the sun shine!

Your friend in Christ,

Mary Rogers