Do Not be Afraid of the Dark

DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE DARK

By John Santosuosso

I must admit that, despite their popularity, I have only attended two Easter Sunrise services in my life. One was at Shell Point Village, a retirement community south of Fort Myers. The other was at a small country church in Southern Indiana. I suspect this has nothing to do with either theology or tradition but rather a certain reluctance to start the day early. Now, if you are looking for a "loophole" to cover your own similar reluctance, you might be thinking, but what about the Great Vigil of Easter? Surely that counts. It is time to get out your favorite copy of the Book of Common Prayer. It will remind you that the service actually begins in the dark and can start anytime after sundown on Saturday. However, be patient. This is going to turn out better than you may have thought.

The Sunrise service probably got its popularity from the common belief that the resurrection of Jesus took place at that moment. All right now, it is time to dust off our Bibles and actually read what it has to say about this matter. None of the four Gospels says Jesus rose at sunrise! The Gospel of John explicitly says it was dark. The other three imply that it was. God is truly amazing. Before we are even aware of it, God is at work. Jesus was resurrected at night, while it was still dark, and while his followers must have still been filled with despair. (John 20:1, Mark 16:1-2, Mt 28:1, Luke 24:1-3)

The Easter story is a truly astonishing one, and sometimes in ways we may have overlooked. At the very time that the disciples must have thought all was lost, God was about to change the course of human history. As so often happens, the power of God is about to be revealed just when we may least expect it. The great Spanish mystic, Saint John of the Cross, discovered that. In his book, "The Dark Night of the Soul," he relates that it was not on the mountain tops but rather in the deep valleys of despair that the revelation of God would come to him. We do not control the Spirit of God. It comes when and how it pleases.

The good news of Easter Day is that we do not need to be afraid of the dark. As we go about our daily lives, things sometimes are very difficult, or even impossible. I recall one Episcopal priest declaring that he thought many of his parishioners attended church not hoping for miracles but for just enough faith and hope to get them through another week. Probably all of us have had times like that. However, while we may be totally unaware of it, that can be the time God is walking closest to us, preparing the way for a brighter tomorrow, one where the promises of Jesus now become our realities. The dark is not to be feared. Rather, it is to be approached with care and the confidence that, despite its appearance, it holds promises we cannot yet fully fathom. Our church will be dark on Good Friday, but then filled with glory on Easter Day.

My fellow pilgrims, let us continue our journey, but this Easter, let us go forth with the power and confidence that can actually come to us while it is still dark. Perfect love casts out all fear, and God's love is perfect. (I John 4:16-21) Jesus was raised to walk with you. You do not need to fear the dark.

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ST PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH BLOG

Rector's Thoughts (October 17, 2026)

By Derek Larson • October 17, 2026

Quick Note: We hope you can join us tonight (Saturday, October 17th) at the rectory for our Backyard Open Mic Night gathering! 6:00pm! Pizza will be provided; you bring anything else you like. Now for what I'm thinking about this week: Here it is! A new look to our weekly newsletter. We hope this design is more accessible, engaging, community oriented, and clear in sharing all that's going on in the parish. Thank you so much to our Communications Team who worked hard on this. We highly encourage you to subscribe to our text messages so that you can receive it right on your phone as well! You might notice in the bottom section of the newsletter (called, "All the Rest"), we have three titles: The Table, The Living Room, and the Kitchen. A word about these images. The word parish literally means "to dwell beside". The idea is that a parish is a community of people who share life with one another. Let's take that idea a step further and imagine that St. Peter's is our spiritual family home. Where in the home do people gather? From the earliest centuries of the Church, Christian faith has been lived out in three primary ways. The Benedictines call these three areas Prayer, Study, and Work. A healthy and mature Christian faith includes all three areas. The three areas are also guiding principles in our parish life together. The Table is the place we gather for prayer. We gather each week at the altar for the Eucharist, to share a Divine meal with God and one another. We gather each day for Morning and Evening Prayer, speaking aloud the names of those on our parish prayer list and the needs of the world in the presence of Christ and the holy sacrament. The Table is a metaphor for prayer. The Living Room is the place we gather to grow in our Christian faith. It's where we share stories with one another, get to know each other, and spend time with one another. In Sunday School, Bible Study, and small groups, we gather to learn. At coffee hour, Engage Cafe, and festive dinners we gather to grow closer to one another. And thus the Living Room is a metaphor for fellowship and formation (study). The Kitchen is the place we gather to serve. Where aprons are put on, hands are washed, and sleeves are rolled up as we work together to take care of the community. At St. Peter's we serve both internally (through the work of Ministry Teams, the Vestry, the Choir, the Altar Guild, Lectors, etc.) and externally (through the work of Laundry Love, Friends in the Park, Meals on Wheels baskets, and so much more). The Kitchen is a metaphor for serving (work). To live out our lives as Christians means to live in Christian community in these three areas. In this new weekly newsletter, all of the relevant events, gatherings, and happenings in the parish will be listed in these areas to help us consider how we are engaging in the life of the whole parish. As you walk with others in faith at St. Peter's, I invite you to regularly participate in at least one gathering for prayer, one gathering for formation, and one way to serve. When we participate in the life of the parish in these three areas, not only will we see our parish strengthened, we'll see our relationships flourish and our personal faith lives grow. I hope you like the new design! I can't wait to see some photos that you submit to be featured each week. That's what's on my mind this week. I wonder what's on yours. I'd love to hear. Peace, Derek The Rev. Derek Larson

Rector's Thoughts- July 10, 2026

By Derek Larson • September 8, 2026

This week I am thinking about the treasure trove that is The Book of Common Prayer and other authorized liturgies in the Episcopal tradition. Most of us have no idea just how many wonderful prayers and liturgies there are for all occasions of life. For obvious reasons, the one that is foremost on my mind is on page 439 in The Book of Common Prayer, Thanksgiving for the Birth or Adoption of a Child. This liturgy has quite a history, going back hundreds of years. It has its roots in the Jewish tradition of purification rites for women 40 days after childbirth, but equally emphasizes thanksgiving for the birth of a child. In centuries where mortality rates of women during the birth of a child were very high, it became particularly important to thank God for safety in coming through it. It also was often the first time much of the community would be introduced to the child, who may or may not have been baptized yet, and thus it became a presentation of the child to God and to the community of God.