| Eastwards |
| At this hour, I call out to you Jehovah Tsidkenu the Lord our Righteousness — Jeremiah 23:6 |
Face east. This is where the sun comes up, and so it is the direction of new beginnings, of hope and promise, forgiveness, and restoration. It is the direction of the clean slate. Pray that you would be open to the gifts of newness that life is offering you in daily abundance.
As we rejoice in the gifts of the sunrise, so may the light of your presence,
O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you; now and for ever. Amen.
[adapted from Morning Prayer]
Write a list of five new days that the sun is rising upon for you at the moment. Take time to understand how each of these changes makes you feel. Which one fills you with most joy? Which one triggers most anxiety?
Lamentations 3 | The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun.; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic monotony that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never gotten tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
GK Chesterton in Orthodoxy
O! My soul in stillness welcomes the sunrise this day, hoping in God alone
O! My soul in stillness welcomes the sunrise this day, hoping in God
O! My soul in stillness welcomes the sunrise this day, hoping
O! My soul in stillness welcomes the sunrise this day
O! My soul in stillness welcomes the sunrise
O! My soul in stillness welcomes
O! My soul in stillness
O! My soul
O