There was Darkness

Genesis 1:1 (KJV)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

In the verse following Genesis 1:1, we read that the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then He created light, saw that it was good, and separated the light from the darkness.

Creation is bringing something into existence, and God’s first creation is light. 

A few years ago, my daughters and granddaughters and I visited the Lost Sea in Monroe County, Tennessee. It is a fascinating tour where visitors learn about the discovery of the huge underground cavern, its geological development, unique formations, and colorful history. The tour ends with a boat ride on the Lost Sea, America’s largest underground lake. 

As interesting as all that was, the most memorable moment for me was when all the light was turned off, and we experienced total darkness. We talk about experiencing the dark when it is a moonless night, or our electricity goes off, or even when we are far from civilization in a natural setting. But it is nothing like the total darkness of being far underground in a cave. It is disorienting, to say the least, and to my granddaughters, it was frightening. In the cave, dark is the total absence of light.

“Dark” is another one of our English words that has multiple meanings and uses. It can refer to the absence of light. Often darkness symbolizes evil. On the day of the Crucifixion, darkness came over the whole land from Noon until three. The sun stopped shining. (Luke 23:44-45) 

However, darkness did not remain. The sun rose on the third day, and the tomb was empty. Christ had arisen! Just as God created light in the beginning, Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection gives us another opportunity to experience His light overcoming darkness. We have no reason to fear darkness because God is the light in a world that experiences the darkness of evil and pain and suffering.  

Bernadette Farrell expresses this beautiful promise in the hymn “Christ Be Our Light”:

Christ Be Our Light! Shine in our hearts

Shine through the darkness

Christ be our light!

Shine in your church gathered today.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of light in our world and for the sacrifice of Your Son to enable us to live in light, even when our world seems to cover us in the darkness. Strengthen us so that we may be a light in this world as we seek to follow Jesus and serve others in your name.

Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Pat Scruggs.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.