Sunset

Yes, Sunset. All too often, its brother “Sunrise” gets all the attention.

This day, however, Sunset’s getting all the attention.

When we built our home, I had no idea what a treat was in store for us. It certainly was none of my doing, but for a variety of reasons, our home is positioned in such a way as to capture perfectly the view at Sunset each evening. Countless are the times I’ve come up from the basement, and have been greeted with one of the more spectacular views I’ve ever had the joy of witnessing.

The lights and colors are usually brilliant, at least as viewed from our home. Sometimes it seems to me that the sky is quite literally on fire. And, no two Sunsets are alike, or at least it seems. One night, it will seem relatively subdued, with the sky having a more purplish-tint to it. The very next night, the sky is alive with bright reds and yellows, almost as if flames are coming down from the heavens.

I cannot help but be filled with a sense of not only wonder and appreciation whenever I view one of these Sunsets, but also of awe. Awe at the incredible power that created this universe in which we live, and allowed through His creation beauty such as the kind that is created when the sun sets in the evening. I feel an overwhelming sense that He is near at these times, that He cares so much about us, loves us so much. It’s almost as if He’s painting a new picture every night, one full of such brilliant color and passion, to let us know we are most definitely not alone.

An atheist may look at the same Sunset, and just say that I’m being sentimental, that I’m simply too lazy to explore what in the natural world actually causes Sunsets. I’ve heard these types of arguments before. For me, such a beautiful picture that I’m treated to each clear evening simply can’t be caused by pure happenstance of natural elements acting upon one another. Yes, that may be what actually does create a Sunset, but the question then becomes Who created the environment under which these conditions can occur?

I personally choose to believe that there is a force that created the natural world, and Who also lives with us in it. My feeble mind just cannot comprehend a world in which so much beauty exists without an intelligent design to it. Beauty in the natural world, while perhaps happenstance on some level, had to start from somewhere. Or more accurately, Someone. Someone who had a vision for a world/system He wanted to create.

Every time I see a beautiful sunset from my little home, my belief in God grows. He’s there. He did create it all, and He loves us so much that he wants to share His “paintings” on a daily basis. Sunsets are God’s signature at the end of each day, His promise to us that He is indeed there.

Enjoy them with all your heart and soul, and know that God is with us. Always.

-The Minister