Good Monday Morning, Dear Friends,
Some years ago, the Commodores recorded a chart-topping hit called, “The Night Shift.” It was written as a tribute to two deceased Motown stars, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. Sadly, the “night shift” is a common human experience. There are times when we live in the dark, unable to sense direction or find the way. When that happens, we wonder how we will ever be able to get through.
The answer to that question is not easy. Across the centuries, however, there are those who have discovered a few simple rules that helped them to deal with the “night shift.” Centuries ago, Sir Isaac Newton stated some principles that he called the laws of motion, and one of them went something like this: An object set in motion will tend to move in the given direction unless acted upon by a contrary force. This rule is known as the “law of momentum.”
Near our former church in Spindale, North Carolina, there were two slopes just right for sledding on snowy days. Joshua and the other kids learned that if they could gain enough speed on the first slope, they could make it all the way to the second one and sled down it as well. It was a simple matter of gaining sufficient momentum.
Scientists probing outer space use the same law of momentum. Their rockets are built in stages, each igniting in sequence to set the rocket on its way. The engines propel the spacecraft further away from gravity until it coasts its way into orbit. It’s a bit more complicated than riding a sled, but the principle is exactly the same.
That same principle is useful in our emotional, mental, and spiritual lives as well. A long time ago, a man came out of the little town of Nazareth who went on to change the course of the world. Jesus knew that his work was so revolutionary that his time on earth would be short. He gathered a dozen followers who would carry on his work when his voice was silent. He sat with these disciples and taught them, always working with feverish intensity. Sure enough, his life here was brief. He only lived three years from the day he started to speak out. But the momentum of those years was too great. When Jesus’ followers stood with their backs to the wall, they came through. They carried on their teacher’s work and did, in fact, change the world.
Newton’s principle of momentum was at work 2,000 years ago in Palestine. Get a thing started, and it tends to move in the appointed direction. This is why those followers of the carpenter from Nazareth were able to endure so many hardships and bad days. They had their direction and sufficient speed and thus made it through. There is something to be said for momentum when you are facing the “night shift.”
Are you getting ready for the night shift?
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
