Daily Devotions with Chaplain Kenny for Tuesday, January 2, 2024: Seeking Meaning under the Ever-Rising Sun

 

The Daily Devotional
Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Seeking Meaning under the Ever-Rising Sun

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down…
Ecclesiastes 1:5 (NKJV)

Reflection

Ernest Hemingway's first full-length novel portrays a group of friends who, reeling from the aftermath of World War I, seek solace in excessive drinking and hedonistic pursuits. Scarred both physically and emotionally, they engage in a continuous cycle of parties, adventures, and promiscuity, with alcohol as a constant companion to dull their pain. Yet, happiness eludes them all.

Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises draws its title from Ecclesiastes 1:5, reflecting on the fleeting nature of life and the repetitive cycles of nature as observed by King Solomon. This connection is deepened as the novel mirrors these cycles through its characters' quest for meaning in a post-war world, questioning whether they, and we, are bound to a never-ending loop or if there's hope for renewal.

As the sun traces its tireless path across the sky, we're reminded of the words from Ecclesiastes, speaking of an endless cycle that predates and will outlive us all. This same sun, which rises and sets with such faithful certainty, is the very one that shone over the lives depicted in Hemingway's novel. In it, characters wander, searching for meaning and contentment in a post-war world that seems to have lost its way.

Like the sun, our lives can feel cyclical and sometimes monotonous. We rise, we set, we hurry back to start again. And yet, in this seemingly endless cycle, there is a constancy, a reliability that can ground us. The sun's journey across the sky is one of the few certainties in life, a reminder that some things remain steadfast, no matter the chaos of our daily lives.

Hemingway's characters sought meaning in love, friendship, and the thrills of the Pamplona bullfights. They tried to find something lasting in a world that felt transient and fleeting. Isn't that our quest too? As we navigate our cycles and routines, we look for something that endures, something that gives purpose to the rise and fall of our own days.

Conclusion

 

In the endless dance of dawn and dusk, the words of Ecclesiastes echo the persistent, oftentimes exhausting, patterns of existence. Contemplating Hemingway's novel, we encounter a profound representation of this concept. As the sun hastens to renew itself, Hemingway's characters are on a quest for significance in a world scarred by conflict, their existence marked by repeated attempts to find comfort. This narrative, reflecting the scriptural passage, beckons us to examine our personal cycles. Are we, akin to Hemingway's figures, trapped in a continuous loop, or might we discover, through the steadfast promise of the divine, a dawn of hope and rejuvenation amid the constant ebb and flow of life?

Consider your own cycles. What guides you back to your origin each day? In what ways can you uncover significance and delight in life's habitual nature, just as the sun consistently emerges anew? As you deliberate on these queries, let the perpetually ascending sun serve as a symbol of your own resilience and potential for rebirth.

Today, let us ponder the unwavering path of the sun. May its steadfast journey encourage us to cultivate stability in our lives—in our affection, our beliefs, and our endeavors. And as the sun retreats only to greet us anew, let us acknowledge that our periods of shadow are invariably succeeded by illumination, and that each dawn presents a fresh chance to uncover the significance and happiness we seek. In this perpetual cycle, we find promise, a testament that no matter the frequency of our falls, we, too, shall ascend anew.

Contemplate your own cycles. What anchors you anew each day? How might you unearth meaning and delight in the habitual nature of life, akin to the sun's faithful return each morning? As you muse over these considerations, let the continuously rising sun symbolize your own tenacity and potential for regeneration.

Prayer

Gracious and Eternal God, as we reflect on the enduring words of Ecclesiastes and the poignant narrative of Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises," we are reminded of the ceaseless cycles of life, the rise and fall that echoes the persistent journey of the sun across the heavens. In this moment of contemplation, grant us the wisdom to embrace our own repetitive paths, not as wearisome circles but as opportunities for growth and renewal. May we find solace in the rhythm of Your creation and courage in the example of Hemingway's characters, who, despite their wanderings, sought meaning and purpose. As each day dawns, fill us with hope and a renewed sense of Your presence, guiding us to live with intention and grace in the ever-spinning world. Amen.


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Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM ichthus-dnm.org
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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