Maranatha – it’s kind of a weird word, but so deep in the emotion and yearning that it evokes.  It’s an Aramaic expression (transliterated into Greek in 1 Corinthians) for what is mostly translated as “Our LORD, Come!” – (or “Come, Lord Jesus” in Revelation 22:20).  It’s an earnest cry for Christ to come and reveal Himself, to liberate, to enact justice, to set everything right.  It’s the great hope of every follower of Christ – the assurance of His return.  Despite whatever cloudy circumstances frustrate our present journey, we know His light will break forth into full, glorious dawn at His return.

Today’s promise actually comes from a meditation by Charles Spurgeon:

“But watchman, when comes the morning? The Bridegroom tarries. Are there no signs of his coming forth as the Sun of Righteousness? Has not the morning star arisen as the pledge of day? When will the day dawn, and the shadows flee away? O Jesus, if thou come not in person to thy waiting Church this day, yet come in Spirit to my sighing heart, and make it sing for joy.

“Now all the earth is bright and glad
With the fresh morn;
But all my heart is cold, and dark and sad:
Sun of the soul, let me behold thy dawn!
Come, Jesus, Lord,
O quickly come, according to thy word.”

(From “Morning and Evening”, August 6th Morning)

Another long delay in waiting for a sunrise (at least at the right time of the morning) – extra duties due to my wife’s knee rehab, a string of unusually gray, rainy, foggy, and dreary July mornings, and just some plain oversleeping the alarm have left the sunrises woefully neglected.  So, when the clouds actually cleared for a peak at a sunset a few evenings back, I took the chance to grab a pic (“today’s” picture).

I might add to all of this I’ve felt a bit stressed the past couple weeks.  Mounting medical bills, craziness at work, unfinished projects at home, turbulent current events… it all tends to weigh on you.  Then, a reality check yesterday morning.  I saw the news coverage of the water contamination in Toledo due to algae bloom in western Lake Erie.  400,000 residents without tap water all of a sudden, and apparently simply boiling it doesn’t make it better.   And that’s minor compared to devastating earthquakes in China, Ebola outbreak in Africa…. you get the picture.  It all reminds me of Jesus’ words in his Sermon on the Mount:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Amen, and Amen.
(From Matthew 6)