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.