| Westwards |
| At this hour, I call out to you Jehovah Shalom the Lord our Peace — Judges 6:24 |
Turn to the west. This is the direction of dusk, where the sun goes down. It’s the direction of rest, of completion. It’s the direction of endings and farewells. It’s the place where the old gives way for the new to come. Pray for grace to live in the light of the setting sun whatever time of day it is.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1
Name for yourself five things upon which the sun is setting, things that need to be laid aside, either for a sabbath or once and for all. Which one is the greatest relief? Which one carries most regret?
A Prayer from New Zealand | Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.
Ponder the hymn ‘The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended’. Written first for use in missionary meetings, it is about the worldwide fellowship of the church and its continual offering of prayer and praise to God. It only became well known when it was used for Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee 1897 celebrations.
O! My soul progresses westwards this day pondering the beauty in the setting sun, of things ended, and things begun
O! My soul progresses westwards this day pondering the beauty in the setting sun, of things ended
O! My soul progresses westwards this day pondering the beauty in the setting sun
O! My soul progresses westwards this day pondering the beauty
O! My soul progresses westwards this day pondering
O! My soul progresses westwards this day
O! My soul progresses
O! My soul
O