A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

In the Broadway show The Wiz, a re-imagined Wizard of Oz, the Witch sings, 

“Don’t nobody bring me no bad news!”

I daresay many people say that daily when they turn to the news channel.  The onslaught of bad news is not eased by the knowledge that, as a journalist once told me, it’s only news if it’s bad.  The assumption being that most things are good news. It would be hard to convince us of this when we read again that a number of people are dead because someone doesn’t like his own life.  Let’s face it bad news is just dark. 

There is a constant flux between good news and bad.  For example, the world seems a darker place when a baby is accidentally shot.  Then it brightens up when we see a child with no hair smiling as yet another doctor gives them a shot. They show a courage that makes First-responders feel inferior.  

Up and down go our emotions until we want to shut the world out altogether.  It would be a relief to say,that doesn’t concern me, but as followers of Jesus we know without doubt that we are connected to everyone else.  It may not seem so, but that idea is growing in popularity in this country despite, or perhaps because of, efforts to deny that. 

What are we to do? How do we get through each day with those dark events hanging over our heads?  We are helpless to change them.  Because of the 24-hour news cycle we can’t escape them.  We pray, but nothing seems to change. 

Human beings are not that crazy about the dark. Oh, we wax poetically about looking up at the stars, but we are more comfortable in the dark if we have the sources of light handy, like matches, or flashlights or light switches.  

We need that kind of thing in the darkness of this world and Jesus is it.  When Phillip asked Jesus, “How will we know the way?”  Jesus replied, “Iamthe Way, the Truth and the Light.”   

That Light is what we need to bear the darkness. Our prayer, when we feel overwhelmed, should be the words of this old hymn.

Longing for light, we wait in darkness

Longing for truth, we turn to you.

Make us your own, your holy people.

Light for the world to see. 

Christ Be Our Light.

 Shine in our hearts.

Shine through the darkness

Christ Be Our Light. 

Amen!

Carol Lemelin OPA