Sermon On The Sunlight Of Tomorrow

Louisa May Alcott, an American novelist once remarked: “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” Malachi 4:2 reminds us: “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.”

The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system, a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma that produces immense energy through nuclear fusion. This energy is essential for almost all life on Earth and drives the planet's climate and weather. Sunlight is technically defined as electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun, consisting of visible light, invisible ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation. Sunlight is perceived as warmth from the sun (IR) and the light that allows one to see (visible light). Sunlight is often seen as a metaphor for aspirations: Its brightness symbolizes a future, positivity, and new beginnings, especially after a period of darkness. For example, the phrase "the sun will rise, and we will try again" signifies expectation and resilience in the face of challenges.

The sunlight of tomorrow may instinctively refer to a hope for the future, or perhaps the philosophical confidence of probable things to come; the idea that future events will follow past patterns, or possibly the question mark of knowing this for certain. While one can be virtually sure the sun will continue to rise based on billions of past sunrises, it is not an absolute assurance, as it is scientifically believed that, during the unknown process of time, the sun will eventually cease to exist. This illustrates that even the most fundamental beliefs are based on presumptions, not guarantees. Although the phrase "sunlight of tomorrow" does not explicitly infer change, rather, it represents the expectation of continuity and predictability based on past observations, it does imply a longing for possible improvement. In a literal sense, the sunlight of tomorrow will be different from today's, as it will have moved to a new position and illuminated a new part of the world due to the Earth's rotation and orbit, but it is not inherently a symbol of a positive or negative change.

Sunlight can guide in several ways, acting as a natural biological timepiece and a directional tool. It helps coordinate the body's internal clock, and its position and movement can be used to determine direction, like finding the cardinal directions or mapping sun exposure. Sunlight can metaphorically be equated to God’s family warmth, as both provide physical and emotional comfort, promote a sense of well-being, and create a nurturing environment. Just as sunlight boosts mood and provides a physical warmth, God’s family relationships can make one feel happy, secure, and supported.

Several Bible passages discuss sunlight, often using it to symbolize God's glory, goodness, and provision. Examples include God’s initial creation of the sun to rule the day and divide light from darkness, and Psalm 136:8, which praises Him for the sun, or Matthew 5:45, which notes that the Almighty makes His sun rise on both the just and the unjust. Genesis 1:14-18 reminds us: “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.”

Sunlight has been correlated to the second coming in different ways, most commonly through prophecies that state the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and stars will fall from heaven as signs of the event. Some interpretations also connect the sun rising from the west with the final judgment in Islam, or view certain solar events like eclipses as potential, though not certain, signs for Christians. Hebrews 9:23-28 reminds us: “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”