Darkness

Luke 24:1-12

While it was still dark, which means while they still grieved. They had witnessed a terrible thing, their friend, teacher was killed and dead. And while they still struggled with their picture of Messiah, which they thought he was, and while they couldn't believe all this led to death, they went to the tomb in their darkness. They went to anoint his body, to do the last things a grieving friend could do.

Maybe this is why I love the Easter Vigil service so much and miss it. We begin in the dark. In all those places where we have felt most deserted by God. In those places where we can't imagine any light exists and we kindle the new flame. A flame to light the Paschal candle by. 

See we think of darkness as not our friend. Especially as we age and get older. The shadows which once held monsters now hold the shape of unseeing. We don't see well in the dark. And neither did the disciples or the women who came that first morning. Yet they still came. These women came for love. Because they loved him enough they wanted to do what they would always do for someone at death. 

Once the flame is kindled the priest takes it and sings into the darkness. We sing into the darkness "The light of Christ" and the congregation responds, "Thanks be to God". Three times we sing of this light in the darkness. This small flicker of hope which could go out with the faintest breeze. Yet we process, bringing it forward, bringing it so all the congregation can light their candles from its flame to see. And the light spreads like the dawn.

Isn't this how it is in our darkest hours. We need to cling to that small hint of light. Wanting to spread it around, yet we are still in the dark yet. We still don't see or completely understand why we are here, yet we are. Singing the light of Christ, hoping that this light will overcome what we see in the darkness. Hopelessness, grief, despair, the loss of ourselves, the loss of a loved one all these are the shadows of the dark. So sing in this spot that single note of hope. "The light of Christ. Thanks be to God."

The thing is with Luke's gospel we don't get a direct encounter with the risen Christ. Instead we have angels, the messengers, and an empty tomb. The women still are perplexed. They give the message they received, but they don't fully understand. On Easter Vigil we start from the creation and go through the prophets, retelling the story of salvation of hope. All in the darkness, all where creativity starts, all where we need to hear that all is not lost, but coming into being. 

Lastly the gospel passage today ends about Peter going and seeing and pondering everything. The Greek here is just the same as its beginning in Luke where Mary ponders everything in her heart after hearing the prophecy of Simeon and Anna. We end the Vigil with the renewal of baptismal vows so that we may ponder the promises we made long ago. So we may see what leads to an empty tomb and our own freedom from hopelessness and despair. Then all the lights come on and we end with the same statement we make this morning, "Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!".

Now go into this morning not perplexed, yet pondering all this in your heart. Christ is risen and has broken our bonds of shame. Christ is risen and broken the bonds of hopelessness. Christ is risen and has broken the bonds of despair. Go now and share the good news!