This is the Day that the Lord has Made!
“God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.”
Lamentations 3:22-24, The Message
Today, I discovered that Nov. 29 may not be a saint’s day in the calendar, but it is a day we can celebrate several other things! Today is, excitingly, National Chocolates Day, but the confectionary must share the spot, as it is also National Square-Dancing Day, the National Day of Giving, Leftovers Day, Electronic Greetings Day and National Lemon Cream Pie Day! There is a whole raft of things to celebrate!
Most importantly though, today is another gift from God. You may have awoken this morning and glanced at the emails downloaded overnight, the text messages, the news and the joy we were designed to feel on awakening every day has already been eroded to almost nothing.
Grateful hearts change us; everything — from our closeness with God to our brain chemistry — is affected by the way we wake up and view the world.
If you have awoken to rocky world, I would encourage you to read the whole of this chapter in Lamentations. As the title suggests, it is a book full of words for when life is hard and our hearts are heavy. Laced into it, though, are powerful words of hope, reminders of God’s unending love and unfailing grace
For the grace of God endures forever. His mercies are new every morning, even today. Oh, that we would wake up and see!
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of Your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for You; now and forever. Amen.*
*Common worship, Church of England Morning prayer.
