A Light in the Darkness

A Light in the Darkness
Originally uploaded by auntjojo

Standing in a dark room before a mirror, I aim the camera and shoot. Light flashes. For a moment the room is illuminated. You have no idea what will appear in the picture at the moment you take the shot. Yet the brief instance of life reveals a way forward.
The psalm for this week begins, "The Lord is might light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?" (Ps. 27.1) The Old Testament passage tells the story of Abraham. God has just made a mighty promise, yet Abraham is still in the dark. He cannot see a way forward. He cannot fathom how God might fulfill this promise. And so, in a vision, God goes before him as a burning pot and a flaming torch... a light in the darkness. Hope in the midst of despair.
At the beginning of Lent, we stand with Christ at the beginning of a dark journey. We know that redemption is at hand, but there seems to be no way forward. At least no way that avoids the deep darkness of the cross. There are flashes of light. Miraculous healings. Exorcisms. The Transfiguration. Moments when the light of heaven flashes into this world and points a way forward. There are promises of the past, such as the fulfillment of God's covenant with Abraham, which leave a lingering light which point the way.
As we begin Lent, however, we must allow ourselves to enter the darkness. Though we live in the light of the resurrection, we must let ourselves walk through the night of Christ's suffering.