Reflection for the Week – 10 November 2026

By Rev Dr Cathie Lambert

Posted Nov 10, 2026 in Faith

New every morning

By Rev Dr Cathie Lambert

As we come to the end of another semester at Uniting College for Leadership and Theology I am reminded again of the circular nature of time. Before I entered ministry, I was a high school teacher. One aspect of teaching I enjoyed was coming to the end of a school year and allowing students to begin again in the next. There was a freedom for the students and for me in letting go of the past of one year and having permission to restart and refresh in the new year. I am noticing this again in this new teaching role.

In Lamentations 3 we read, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. We do not have to wait an entire year to begin again. Every morning, we have an opportunity for a fresh start, a new beginning. Do we allow ourselves to begin again? Do we allow others to have a new dawn?

My middle name is Dawn. As a young teenager, I recall finding any other name beginning with ‘D’ to claim as my own – Donna and Diane being favourites. More recently I have come to love my middle name. The dawn is a special time, a liminal time. It holds a few sacred moments between the dark of night and the light of day. It brings the world to life. Birds begin to sing. Dew begins to evaporate. Nocturnal creatures scurry and hide. Daytime animals gently awaken. Coffee machines have their moment. A day of new possibilities commences.

One of my favourite poems, A Morning Offering by John O’Donohue, speaks of dawn as an altar where we take a moment to lay down aspects of our lives before the day begins. What might you need to lay down on the altar of dawn before God each morning? From time to time, I have used the final stanza of O’Donohue’s poem as a prayer to commence my day at the altar of dawn.

“May I have the courage today
To live the life that I would love,
To postpone my dream no longer
But do at last what I came here for
And waste my heart on fear no more.”

This verse draws me back to God’s calling on my life. Often this requires courage and often I become caught up in my own fears. Thankfully, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. Graciously, God’s mercies never come to an end. As I rise to a new dawn, awake to a fresh semester, embrace a unique season – God’s love showers me again. Great is your faithfulness, O God.

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