Equinox

"Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day." - Gen 1:3-5

The very first act of Creation was light. More specifically, it was the creation of days and nights, regular periods of alternating between light and darkness. And in this first act, this first evening and morning, was the creation of equinox.

Equinox, Latin for "equal night," is the word we use for the two moments each year when every part of the earth receives approximately 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness. Every spring and every fall, we experience an equinox on this planet: equal night for everyone, every place.

Even in the first act of Creation, God is concerned with equality. The Night and Day created by God mirrors our shared lives. Most of the time, half the world is in one season, and the other half of the world is in the opposite season. Depending on where we live, we receive different amounts of sunlight and darkness. Except for the equinox.

In life, sometimes we are in the midst of prolonged light, whereas others are living in prolonged darkness. We are not promised that we will have equal amounts of celebratory moments as our neighbors, nor are we promised equality in the dark nights of life. Some of us will have a "sunnier" life, whereas others of us will have a "darker" life, a reality over which we have less control than we want to believe.

But occasionally, there are moments of equinox. In the system of Night and Day, God built in equality, even if just for two moments a year. The vernal and autumnal equinoxes are signs of God's justice, breaking into our rhythm of seasons and time twice a year. Twice a year, we are reminded that God does not play favorites.

On this day, the northern hemisphere is journeying from summer to winter, while the southern hemisphere is journeying in the opposite direction. Equinox is the point in which those journeys intersect. If even for a moment, we are in the same season. Take a moment to thank God for this gift of equal night, remembering our brothers and sisters around the world who receive the gift with us.

The Gift of Hope

"It will not solve your personal troubles, give you health if you are sick, reward you with money if you are poor, or diminish your grief. But it might grant you the gift of hope." - Jimmy Cannon, sports journalist

I came across this the other day in a book I'm reading. This line was written to describe baseball, but it seems rather appropriate to our faith as well. Christ does not promise us problem solving, good health, wealth, or happiness. But he does provide us the gift of hope.