LET THERE BE LIGHT
Ordinary things look ominous in the shadows of night. When it’s
dark, we see dragons under the bed, ogres in the closet, snakes in
the plumbing, BTK at the window. We’re vulnerable in darkness.
Darkness is often used as a metaphor for chaos, evil, and the
unknown. Some people have a dark side. We all have dark thoughts.
Days of sadness are dark days. Centuries of ignorance are Dark Ages.
In the beginning, darkness was upon the face of the deep,
black and impenetrable. No plants, no animals, no people, no life at
all. So God said, “Let there be light.” And with light came
the possibility of life.
God’s creation was perfect, until God’s children tried to
substitute their life plan for God’s. The relationship between the
Parent God and the children was broken. God created light, but the
people chose to live in darkness.
God loved his creatures, despite their failures, and so once
again God commanded, “Let there be light.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. … In him was life, and the life was the light of
all people. And the light shines in the darkness.” (John
1:1-5)
Today we begin six weeks of meditation and penitence called Lent.
Christians unite under the pall of darkness that attends the last
days of Jesus on earth. We are sad as we make the pilgrimage. We are
so sorry that this man, Jesus, God, must suffer such pain and
humiliation because of the darkness in our souls. We repent and we
cry out to God. Forgive us, Lord. Take away this darkness, and bring
us into the light of your salvation!
God answers our cries. From the miracle of creation to the
miracle of resurrection, we are blessed by the grace of Almighty God
who brought order into chaos, life into death, light into darkness.
Gracious God, you have saved us from the darkness. Now teach us
to walk as children of the Light. Amen
Dallas Cronk
