Sunrises and Sunsets

by Assistant to the Bishop Darrel Peterson

I have always been fascinated by sunrises and sunsets, with a preference for sunrises, in that I tend to be a morning person. What a beautiful sight to see that golden disk edge onto the horizon in the cool of the morning! In my Colorado years, I traveled Eastward on the East side of Denver to get to my church. I enjoyed celebrating many sunrises as the days began. In my present call to ministry, I am often on the way early on Sunday mornings. The roads are clear and the sun comes up in all its magnificence.

Traveling transatlantic by air provides another sunrise opportunity. I will always remember seeing the sun come up over Africa as we crossed the skeleton coast of Namibia. Being at the beach on the Atlantic coast at various resorts has afforded me many peaceful and joyful moments.

This is not to denigrate sunsets. The clouds from the daytime are often situated to accentuate the colors at sunset. Key West and the gulf coast of Florida celebrate their sunsets. People gather to watch and take yet another sunset picture. I recently did a wedding on the beach North of Naples. The sunset was spectacular, and the photographer made the most of it. Again, my Colorado experiences afforded my enjoying the sun setting in so many different ways over the angular mountains to the West.

Sunrises and sunsets are symbols for our beginnings and endings. As the sun rises, we are reminded of new beginnings. In our Christian theology, we can celebrate God’s grace that is new each morning and God’s forgiveness that provides for yet another fresh start. We often hesitate as things change. Old patterns and habits persist. But with each new day, we can be reminded how important it is to have persistent newness. New beginnings come whether we are ready or not.

Politicians talk of sunset provisions. By such laws they allow programs and decisions to expire. In the church we often have problems with sunset thinking. We have a hopeful theology of dying and death. But we are wont to resist the end of organizations and traditions. This past summer, I was privileged to visit some of the New Testament sites such as Ephesus and Laodicea. There were ruins, to be sure, but there were no evangelism committees or congregation councils. The actual ministry in those places has long since ceased. The active ministry of those places now exists in the lives and ministries of us who read the New Testament.

We have many churches whose existence is being threatened by community change, division of the parishioners, the absence of the next generation, and the devastating economy. We need to be reminded we are called to be disciples, not perpetuators of institutions. Some of our churches need to say “mission completed” and to celebrate the sunset of ministry of past days.

We desperately need to see the sun coming up on new opportunities for mission. We don’t need to spend our efforts and resources on purifying our religious comfort levels and our galvanized prejudices. We have far too many people coming to church to get their opinions and lifestyles blessed. We need to hear God’s word with the clean slate of the morning sun, and we need to each day receive God’s grace and forgiveness. And we need to allow many of the day’s activities to end with the setting of the sun.