Morning Thoughts

Today is the last day. The last day that we have to get up at 5:00 a.m. for morning Lenten services, that is. The practice here at our internship congregation has been to have 3 daily servcies for Advent and Lent - 6:30 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 6:30 p.m.

As for getting up at 5:00 a.m., those of you who know me know that this is a rare feat - I don't do mornings. It is not that I don't do them well, I just don't do them. I am the one who, when I was traveling the world, would sometimes stay up all night when I had to leave for the airport at 5:00 a.m. (knowing that I had a 12 hour flight during which I could sleep). Early mornings just are not my thing.

But there has been something about 6:30 a.m. Morning Prayer that has touched me. There is something about getting up and dressed, and being in the sanctuary as the sun comes up, praising God for the day to come. Morning Prayer at 9:00 a.m. might be just fine, but there is something powerful about Morning Prayer as the sun rises.

It is easy to understand why many cultures begin their day with prayer as the sun rises. It is not something we do often as Christians, except for those who still have a sunrise service on Easter Morning. It may be a practice that we should reclaim more often.

Try it sometime. Get up before the sun rises; take your favorite hymnal or devotional, and have morning prayer as the sun rises (for Lutherans, try LBW p. 161). Morning prayer, or devotions, become more powerful as we witness the wonder of God's creation at the same time. Whether it is watching the early morning rays of sunlight as they penetrate the stained class windows of the sanctuary, or watching them rise over the trees in the back yard, or come in the kitchen windows, pray as the sun arrives.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24 , NRSV).