Arise and Shine!
I love sunsets. The glorious colors that light up the sky before the sun dips from sight are so beautiful and warm. Sunrises are more of a challenge to me, although they can be just as beautiful. Experiencing a sunrise to the full means getting up while it is still dark and cold, and waiting to see how the light of a new day slowly sends its first rays to illuminate the world. But the early morning light has a special quality. While sunset colors are warm and imply the completion of the deeds of the day before ceding to darkness, sunrise colors bring ever more brightness and light that inspire action and give new energy and anticipation of things to come. God calls us to rise and shine. He spoke to the nation of Israel and He speaks to us with the words in Isaiah 60:1–3. My first encounter with this Bible text was as an 11-year-old girl attending a church conference with the motto “Arise and shine.” I have attended many other conferences with a variety of mottos that I do not rememb