While it was still dark.....

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb….—John 20:1

I have worked nightshift for over 9 years and so I have a different routine than most. Rather than sleeping during the night and working during the day I am quite used to the opposite. As such, I get a steady dose of the dark night. The unit where I work has a residential pet named Spot, an Australian shepherd who occassionally steals my food if I’m not careful. In the middle of the night he will wake up from his doggie dreams and come to the office doorway and give me the look that says I need to drop what I’m doing. As he runs around in the backyard I get the chance to look up at the stars in the dark night sky. Darkness for most people can be disturbing or even terrifying. Some may find it peaceful but I assume that that is only the case when one is in a familiar setting or reasonably safe environment.

Typically people think of daytime as the beginning of the day as that is when people wake up and start their activity. Nighttime is the time when people come indoors and end their activity so that they can sleep and get ready for the new day in the morning. Jewish tradition is much different and we see it most clearly in how they honor the Sabbath. Sabbath begins sundown on the 6^th day and ends sundown on the 7^th. That routine involves beginning with night and ending with the daylight. Why do they have such an odd arrangement to their day? The roots go back to the creation story itself.

And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

In Genesis we see the regular pattern of evening followed by morning. In the bigger picture we at first see a formless void of darkness but God speaks and light breaks forth. This pattern of night to day is a daily rhythm that testifies to the creative direction since the beginning. Light from the darkness. Life from death.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.—1 Peter 2:9

Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.—Matthew 4:15-16

Earlier I did a post on the suffering of Christ but I want to do one more thing before we arrive at the resurrection. I want to spend some time looking at someone who is very representative of where we find ourselves as Christians from time to time. Let’s look at the situation of Mary on her way to the tomb. This is not some sort of serene and peaceful darkness where Mary finds herself. Inside she is anything but peaceful. I can only imagine the fear, doubt, and grief that flooded her mind as she made her way toward the tomb. I am really good at having those internal conversations or recounting past conversations and so it is easy for me to place myself in her shoes in that sense. I’m sure she is placing the expectations she had alongside of the recent events and wondering where everything went wrong. How do you go from the celebration of Palm Sunday to this? I’m sure the whole thing was a blur. Unanswered questions start piling up with no clear place to start. It was dark.

When you turn the lights out on people there are two universal reactions: fright and freeze. When things go dark it catches people by surprise and you immediately stop what you’re doing because you can’t see and things get complicated. It’s in the dark times in life that it is easy to lose hope, give up, and stop moving forward but that’s not what we see Mary doing. Others are huddled together in hiding, unsure if they will be next if they show themselves. But Mary is making her way to the tomb and facing the one big thing that is to blame for her darkness. Later on she will get to see that amazing moment when darkness turns to light but for now it is dark.

What is your current darkness? What are the areas in life needing light and life to dawn anew? No matter how dark things are, no matter how tough the questions or severe the doubts, don’t give up hope. Don’t stop moving forward. The day is coming.