The Light Shines

"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."
John 1:4-5 NRSV

The transition from the darkness of Lent into the light of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, is one of the most abrupt and glorious transitions of the church year. I love that first glimpse of the recently empty and stark church, now gloriously full of Easter lilies and other white flowers, along with the returned sounding of alleluias!

Light and darkness. Jesus is the light that shines in our lives to lift us up as we walk through dark times. In the prologue of John’s Gospel, we hear that Jesus is the light, the light that shines and overcomes the darkness. During these times in which we are seeing a lot of darkness in the world, I read these verses and am reminded that the light of Christ is in the world and will overcome all darkness. Yet that prologue also acknowledges that there is darkness. We are not spared completely from darkness in our lives, but we are carried through it by the light of Christ, giving us hope that dawn will come and night will, one day, be fully over. 

Prayer for guidance:

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen .
The Book of Common Prayer, page 832

The Rev. Lisa R. Neilson
Associate for Pastoral Care and Women's Ministries