Minister’s Message: Bright and vivid reasons

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026

Sunrises and sunsets are beautiful in the winter months. I say winter because I don’t usually see them during the summer; they are too early and too late. I don’t often see the sun begin and end its journey across the sky in the summer unless I’m going fishing or coming home from a fishing trip.

The colors that appear as the sun rises or sets are beautiful. I noticed the colors are on both east and west horizons during the sunrise or sunset. Rose, pink, gold, coral, orange and purple with the different hues of blue are eye-catching and amazing. The mountains reflect some of the colors and stand out for a short interval.

These sensational sights cause me to praise the Lord for his creation. The Genesis account of creation is a short summary of God’s work. The beauty and wonder of it all is what we get to discover and enjoy as we journey through life.

Psalm 113:3 reads, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.”

Praise to the Lord is rooted in the many blessings we receive from him. I reflect on the many times he has met my needs and the needs of my family. Praise just comes out.

Jeremiah wrote of the Lord, “His compassions fail not, they are new every morning.” That adds to the glory of the morning.

Not just in daylight hours do we have reasons to praise the Lord. Night time has such a display of God’s creation. David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” The night sky is amazing.

I was just a young kid sledding on a hill at night when I asked about the pale band of light in the sky. The other kids said it was the Milky Way. A candy bar? I learned it is the galaxy that the earth is in.

A friend told me how to recognize planets from stars. The shiny “stars” that don’t twinkle are the planets in our solar system. I was amazed as I looked through a telescope at Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings.

Comets aren’t regular lights in the night. They pass the earth as they orbit the sun at long term intervals. Heat from the sun melts the ice to gas which forms their tail.

Northern lights appear in the night sky. Their colors can be more than the usual greenish yellow. Red, purple, fuchsia, all can be part of the display. Not quite as bright as the colors of sunrise but they move across the night sky in a glorious display.

A meteor shower in August around my wife’s birthday is a special sight. One year it combined with the northern lights and was spectacular.

Both night or day we see bright and vivid reasons to praise the Lord. Psalm 147:4 says the Lord numbers the stars and calls them by name. That is an amazing claim. Even more wonderful is verse 3, “He healeth the broken in heart.” Many events in life can lead to that heart condition. The Lord is able to heal and help in each one.

Mitch Glover is pastor of Sterling Pentecostal Church. Sunday services include Bible classes for all ages at 10 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. Bible study is Thursday at 7 p.m. Visit the services and sterlingpentecostalchurch.com.