For most of my life I have lived in the Southwest.
I was born in southern Arizona and as a child we moved around the state while my father worked on road construction projects. We spent one year in northern New Mexico, but Arizona was home.
What I knew of my home state is it was hot about eight months of the year, and the sun was always shining. It was great!
After Dave and I were married we spent a period of time in the Pacific northwest – Washington and Idaho. Those first few years were an adjustment for sure, gray snowy winters and gray rainy summers. I missed the sunshine.
These were the memories that were triggered as I read from Luke, chapter 1, this morning. Zechariah, the father of John, spoke these words over his son on the day of his naming. He later became known as John the Baptizer. His father knew his son had a special calling to fulfill.
“You, my son, will be called the prophet of God Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord
to get everything ready for him. 77 You will tell his people that they can be saved when their sins are forgiven. 78 God’s love and kindness will shine upon us like the sun that rises in the sky. 79 On us who live in the dark shadow of death this light will shine to guide us into a life of peace.” Luke 1:76-79 CEV
This light, the Son filled with love and kindness, will shine on us and guide us into a life of peace!
” Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, ‘I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.’” John 8:12 CEV
There’s no danger of being sun-burned by this “Son-light”. The longer we spend in the Son, the more we become like Him and can share His light to those in our world.
Come live in the “Son-shine”.