by Rev Douglas Brauner

We are children of God through faith.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” 
1 John 3:1 New International Version

We respond differently to sunrises than we do sunsets. Although the quality of the light from each is similar, it changes dramatically in different directions. As such, we react to a sunset in a different way than a sunrise.

Anticipation is the hallmark of sunrises.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I took this picture of a sunrise, while facilitating a photography workshop, at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. We arrived before the sun made its appearance over the eastern high plains. We anticipated the light that would grow brighter as it chased the shadows off of Pikes Peak.

Reflection, however, is the hallmark of sunsets.

Watching light disappear, and with it the color of the day, causes us to look back and to think about what was and what might have been. We are quicker to capture the scene than we do at sunrise knowing that the light is fleeting.

Whether we’re anticipating the future or reflecting on the past, we will always remain children of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. John acknowledges that what we will be when Christ returns is not yet known, but we can rest in the assurance that we are God’s children. Jesus’ blood, his sacrifice, and resurrection have made us his.

So, if you find yourself anticipating what life will bring, or reflecting on what it has brought, remember you are a child of God.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado