‘Birds flying high, you know how I feel,
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel,
Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel,
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day,
It’s a new life for me – and I’m feeling good!’
– ‘Feelin’ Good’, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse
I don’t think I can recall a period of time in London when the sun has been in the sky for such a long stretch without a drop of rain. The sun cruising through the sky brings warmth, life and energy like almost nothing else can. There was a period, not that long ago, where I favoured working in the air-conditioned basement of All Souls, Langham Place, and it wasn’t long before the doctor informed me that I had vitamin D deficiency – the clear lesson was that I needed more sunshine.
For most of history, God’s people did not have the Bible in their hands to read for themselves. It is only with the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and the Reformers’ pioneering efforts to place God’s word in our hands that we have been able to delve deeply into God’s wisdom on a daily basis. Prior to that, the people had to attend the temple or the church to hear God’s word spoken. Every time they listened attentively, they would have needed to hold in their heads and hearts a key piece of truth throughout their days to worship God and bless the people around them.
No wonder, then, that Scripture brims with pictures of the world God spoke into being. Walk out of worship, and Creation keeps preaching: snow clothes the ground like a spotless robe; fire crackles with purifying holiness; mountains stand guard as God’s immovable ramparts.
As you witness the sun beaming from the noonday sky in the coming weeks, let’s remind ourselves of the many ways the Bible uses its warmth, life-giving light, and its rising trajectory to point us to the risen Saviour who gives light and life. In fact, this is such a strong image in the Bible that it appears about 150 times in most modern translations.
But the sun is only the opening line in Creation’s sermon. Here are three ‘sun‑shaped’ messages Scripture keeps pressing home – each one a ready‑made devotional the next time you feel the rays on your face.
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1. The Sun Rises—So Does the Son
‘For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.’
Malachi 4 :2
Every dawn is a living postcard from Easter morning. Night recedes, colours bleed back into the world, and a ball of fire climbs over the horizon whether we notice or not. So it is with Christ’s resurrection: unstoppable, warming, life‑birthing. Anxiety may darken the sky of your mind, but the gospel insists that light is already on the way.
Practice: Tomorrow, watch the sunrise—or at least step outside early. Whisper a simple “Thank you that the tomb is still empty,” and carry that daylight into your inbox, your commute and your conversations.
2. The Sun Sustains—Christ Holds All Things Together
‘In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.’
John 1 :4
Strip away the scientific jargon and every biology textbook says the same thing: No sun, no life. Photosynthesis fuels the planet, vitamin D knits our bones, circadian rhythms keep our hearts beating in time. Likewise, Colossians 1 tells us that in Jesus ‘all things hold together.’ He is the gravitational centre of reality, the life-saving oxygen of every soul.
Practice: The next time you feel a shaft of sunlight through a window, let it prompt this prayer: ‘Jesus, without you I wither. Draw me toward your light today.’
3. The Sun Sets—Yet Its Circuit Is Unbroken
‘From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.’
Psalm 113 :3
Ancient people assumed the sun died each night and was reborn at dawn. The psalmist corrects the superstition but keeps the poetry: even when the sun slips below the skyline, its race across the globe continues, spreading daylight somewhere else. God’s fame works the same way – when you switch off the bedside lamp and fall asleep in the Great Shepherd’s care, millions on the other side of the world are just beginning their morning worship.
Practice: at sunset, pray for believers in a time‑zone where the work‑day is just starting: a missionary in Japan, a Christian friend in Mexico, or an underground church in Tehran. Your quiet petition joins a 24‑hour chorus of praise.
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My doctor’s warning about vitamin D deficiency still rings in my ears – and it mirrors something far deeper. Not spending enough time witnessing God’s cosmic masterpiece can allow the ‘bones’ of our faith to grow brittle. A sermon on Sunday is indispensable, but so is Monday’s walk to the bus stop, Tuesday’s lunch‑break in the park, Wednesday’s orange‑pink sunset. Creation is not a replacement Bible; it is God’s high‑definition illustrated Bible, reinforcing what you read on the page and reminding us of the greater ‘Sun of righteousness.’
So as this extraordinary London summer rolls on – birds swooping above the Thames, breezes threading through narrow cobbled streets, sun hanging like a lantern over the city: tune in. Let God’s cosmos cue your worship:
Birds flying high? ‘Look at the birds of the air… your heavenly Father feeds them’ (Matt 6 :26).
Breeze driftin’ on by? ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases… so it is with everyone born of the Spirit’ (John 3 :8).
Sun in the sky? ‘The LORD God is a sun and shield’ (Psalm 84 :11).
It’s a new dawn, a new day, a new life in Christ—
and Creation is singing the chorus. Step outside and join in.
Listen to Beverly Trotman singing Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse’s classic ‘Feelin’ Good’ with the All Souls Orchestra.
Michael Andrews
Director, All Souls Music
