In darkness, Jesus remains our Light.

You can find a recording of this post at my 2 Penny Blog Podcast.

I struggle to imagine the fear the first disciples felt. Yet, I expect that the disciples could at best only approach the open tomb hesitantly; not knowing what to expect themselves. As they peered into the darkness, could they find a spark of hope? Dare they believe what seemed impossible? Looking into the opening before them, how could they not become frozen by fear? And yet, in the end, they entered the tomb.

Considering their experience, I can find many parallels with our own lives. Any time we face change or uncertainty, we can start to focus on fear and forget whose we are. Facing major obstacles, we can shrink before their seeming power and enormity ignoring the even larger, more powerful God who stands with us. In our weakness, we can feel small and alone. Our future can seem as if entombed in darkness.

If the first disciples had not stepped into the darkness of the cave, they might not have discovered the glory of God at work in their lives. If they had not later gone into strange and sometimes threatening communities, often facing persecution if not death, Christ’s light might not have shown as brightly in the world. Sometimes, all we can do is walk into the darkness as the early disciples did, trying to trust that God’s light and love are already waiting to be discovered there.

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” wrote St. Paul (Romans 8:28). As we relive the events of Holy Week, we recall the darkness of Christ’s extensive suffering and death. However, we would not encounter them the same if he had not risen. These terrible things were allowed to happen, so that the world could be blessed. Bad things can happen to us, or we might fall short, and still, God promises to love us and to turn our “bad” into the goodness of God. God’s light seeks to be revealed in and through our complicated, sometimes frightening lives.

As we see darkness at work inside or outside of ourselves, we need to remember the life changing and sustaining truth, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” The beloved chant from Taizé comes to my mind and proves true. “Our darkness is never darkness in [God’s] sight. The deepest night is clear as the daylight.” We can get through it, whatever “it” is. We can let things go as we must, so that we can hold onto grace all the more and move forward more freely. We just need to trust. For Christ remains our light, no matter what we do or fail to do, whatever powers rise against us. Jesus remains our light shining in the darkness even when our eyes cannot sense him. He rose, not for his own sake, but for our own.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations for this post are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) translation.

Originally published in the April newsletter of Christ Lutheran Church, Fredericksburg, VA.

© 2023 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.