A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the fact that the darkness of Jesus’ tomb was overcome by the brightness of Jesus’ resurrection. We have some indications. Luke’s gospel describes the women at Christ’s tomb encountering two men in dazzling clothes (Lk 24:4); Matthew’s Gospel (28:3) tells of an angel whose appearance was like lightning, with clothing as white as snow. The dark, morbid tomb was challenged. I can imagine that when Jesus stood up in the tomb with his glorified body there must have been a conquering brilliance in that cold, dark enclosure.
In the first verses of John’s gospel, we read of the Word who became flesh: “in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (1:4-5)
Often evil is equated with darkness. There is an unmistakable heaviness in darkness. Sin blocks out light. Thanks be to God, Jesus’ light brings cleansing as we confess and receive forgiveness of our sins. In this time before Pentecost, we are still basking in the brightness of our resurrected Lord whose blood dispels all darkness. Jesus is truly the Light of the world.
In the current struggles with global sickness and destructive weather systems, with all the lingering uncertainties and dangers, it is consoling to know that the whole world, and each of us personally, has an Advocate with the Father. While we may occasionally recognize some dark places in our spiritual lives—-maybe even pauses that we think are power outages—-we remember from Easter's revelation that we can rise above them with our Savior in the life-sustaining light of his eternal love!
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, CT. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.