DEVOTION FROM BULLETIN COVER
I’m going to be completely honest. I’m afraid of the dark. My biggest fear is that I can’t see what’s in front of me and I’m afraid of the unknown. I have an active imagination that creates dangerous scenarios when I’m in the darkness of night. And yet, it was exactly in this darkness, when the earth was a formless void, that God came in and started all of creation.
The first thing God created was light. God saw that the light was good, and there was evening and morning on the first day. The light that God created burst forth into chaos, into darkness, into the shadows of the night, and shined so radiantly that the world began with its first day.
For many of us, last year was a year of darkness and chaos. The pandemic, the economic crisis, and the ongoing injustice of systemic racism plagued our minds and our hearts. We missed out on in-person worship, summer camp, and our own Annual Conference. As 2021 begins, may we join God in creating light for this broken world, so that all may know of God’s love and grace in this new beginning.
God, we give thanks for the creation of light that shines so brightly to bring us hope, grace, and love in the broken darkness of this world. As this new year begins, help us to use our own creativity to join you in bringing light and life so there is justice and peace for all your beloved creation. Amen.
Mandy North,Manassas, Virginia