Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
March 3, 2008

Psalms 23:1-6 (NRSV)
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.

Ephesians 5:8-14 (NRSV)
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-- 9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. 10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; 13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, "Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

In Darkness

Have you ever sat in darkness? One of my favorite times is in those pre-dawn moments. I enjoy sitting in my chair in the living room with only a small night light on. That little light pushes away the shadows around me while my visible boundaries blend into shades of gray. The rest of the room remains enveloped in darkness. It’s quiet and peaceful – a tender time for me to sit in God’s presence, to listen for God’s breath, to ponder God’s calling. Yes, it’s one of my favorite times.
Light and darkness are considered opposites. But I don’t think that’s really the case. Light and darkness cannot exist in the same space. If light shows up, it pushes the darkness away. Darkness can exist on the edge of light – like my pre-dawn experience – but it can never invade space that light has claimed.
Think for a moment about the darkness of our world – where things happen that are not observed; where people hide their actions from others. No matter what morning show you watch, if you catch the daily news you’ll hear of all kinds of things that happened during the darkness of night – robberies, murders, rapes. Even in the darkness of a snowy white-out or dense fog, mass pileups occur. In the darkness of a cave, people loose their way, In the darkness of a house, we stub our toe or trip over a chair or fall down the stairs. The dark hours of our world can be dangerous.
Now think about those ‘in between’ spaces – areas that are not fully illumined nor are they fully darkened – where the visible boundaries turn to shades of grey. Many times we want to believe that grey areas are areas of choice. And yet, we know that right choices always lead into light, not darkness. In those grey areas, the right choices are not hidden – there is enough recognition of light to help us see the way, even if our vision is clouded by the grey.
Our reading from Ephesians this morning is about the goodness of light. Listen again to Paul’s encouraging words, this time from Eugene Peterson’s translation, The Message: “You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You're out in the open now. The bright light of Christ makes your way plain. So no more stumbling around. Get on with it! The good, the right, the true –these are the actions appropriate for daylight hours. Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it. Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light!” (8-14)
“You groped your way through that murk once, but no longer. You’re out in the open now,” writes Paul. (8) The contrast between dark and light reflects the universal human experience of the powerlessness of life in the darkness. It doesn’t matter whether it is induced by a modern power failure or the simple onset of night. When the darkness comes, the eyes cannot see.
As Christians, we call Jesus Christ the “Light of the world.” Jesus can conquer everything that seems to embrace darkness – depression, doubt, fear, hurt, to name but a few. That doesn’t mean that we will never experience these things. What it does mean is that Jesus shows us a way out of these situations. He makes visible the things that were once hidden in the darkness. Jesus Christ will work with us to get us to a better place – a place of truth rather than lies, a place of hope rather than despair, a place of wholeness rather than brokenness. Jesus said: “I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in."
How many of you have ever tended a garden? When I was a stay-at-home mom I had a wonderful ‘raised bed’ garden with pathways softened by straw. It was a sight to behold – if I do say so myself. There were annual and perennial flowers, asparagus and strawberry patches, and lots and lots of vegetables. But, there was one corner of the garden that was troublesome. In early spring it was a great place to begin winter peas and the first crop of lettuce. But later in the season, it became a desolate spot. Nothing wanted to grow there. At first I didn’t realize what was happening. I watered; I tilled; I weeded. But, nothing would germinate in that bed. Finally I realized the problem. The beautiful dogwood tree just outside of the fence had grown with a bend in its trunk. And this caused it to lean over and shadowed that spot. No warmth penetrated the earth; no light could get to the plants. It was a barren corner of darkness in an otherwise ideal garden.
That’s what happens when we live in the darkness of the world; the darkness of sin. Like the shadow of that dogwood tree, our sins cover over our hearts and leave us spiritually dead. When left unexposed to the light of Jesus Christ, sin continues to do its dirty work: blocking our growth; killing the true joy of life; and keeping us from the warming love of God.
A group of friends had gone to the movies. On the way in, one of the guys stopped to buy some popcorn. By the time he got into the theater, the lights were already dim. He scanned the rows but couldn’t find his friends. People watched him pace up and down the aisles, searching the crowd in the near-darkness. As the lights began to go down even further, he stopped and asked out loud, “Does anyone recognize me?”
In darkness many things are difficult to recognize. Things seem surreal; out of proportion. We may feel alone and lost. We may want to cry out, “Does anyone recognize me?”
Friends, are you living in darkness? Or, are your lights on dimly – giving a grey cast to the foundation of your faith? The contrast between dark and light reflects the universal human experience of the powerlessness of life in the darkness. Remember, if we stay in the darkness or live in the grey times we find ourselves tripping or falling. We might even get lost.
We need the light of Christ in our lives for “the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” (9) The light of Christ brings clarity and direction. “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them,” writes Paul. (11) Like the lighthouse on the water’s edge, the light of Jesus Christ will lead us to safe harbors or warn us of dangerous waters.
We must let our lives radiate the light of Jesus Christ for when His Light shines in us and through us, it brings joy and hope and peace to a disturbed and hostile world. Like the lighthouse that leads to safety and warns of dangers, we can be a shining beacon of His love. Christ’s love in our lives will indeed drive away the darkness. What a promise! What a gift!
As we consider God’s Word for us this morning, let’s take a few moments of silence to listen to the Lord….                …Amen.