Ephesians 5:8-21[1]
We all have times in
our lives when we go through what may be called “dark places.” Life takes an
unexpected turn, and we may feel lost, or afraid, or unable to go on, or all of
the above at the same time. Some of what we have to deal with in life may leave
us thinking that we can’t possibly get through it. And those unwanted
“surprises” can rob us of hope, joy, energy, and even love. Life can seem like
drudgery, and we may feel weary and think that we can’t possibly face even one
more day. Many of you know that I’ve been through some of those dark places in
my own life. They can drain the very will to live right out of you.
If we have just a
glimpse of hope to help us move through those dark places in life, it can make
all the difference. We even have a saying about it: “There’s light at the end
of the tunnel.” But I think the question today is what we do when we can’t see
the end of the tunnel. How do we find a “light” that can give us the hope, the
strength, the energy, and the will to keep going? Many of us speak of our faith
as something that sustains us in hard times. That’s a good thing. But we
usually say that after we’ve made it through. Again, I think the more pressing
question is the one we ask ourselves when we can’t see the “light” at the end
of the tunnel. We want to know how we’re supposed to make it through another
day.
Our lesson from St.
Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus addresses this question, although from a
different point of view. His main concern was the moral and ethical darkness in
the world as he saw it. At first glance, what he has to say can sound rigid,
and even harsh. But we have to remember that Paul was not addressing a church
that was an established institution in society. It was a church living on the
margins, and how they lived impacted the ability of the community to survive. So
he urged them to avoid behaviors that would weaken their community and practice
those behaviors that would strengthen it.
Using images from
Easter, St. Paul speaks of the living Christ as a light that has shined upon
them. He quotes what may have been an early Christian hymn, “Sleeper, awake! Rise
from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Eph. 5:24). Using the imagery of
light, he makes what sounds like an obvious statement: “everything exposed by
the light becomes visible” (Eph 5:13). When light shines on what is in the darkness,
it reveals what is actually there. But more than that, Paul speaks of the light
of Christ as a light that changes things. He also says, “everything that
becomes visible is light” (Eph. 5:13-14). I think we have
to look beyond the obvious here and recognize that when we open ourselves to
the light of Christ, it changes us. It transforms us into people who reflect
the light ourselves.
If we look at the
positive teachings in our lesson for today, I think they may help us see more
clearly what this looks like in practice. We are to “Try to find out what is
pleasing to the Lord” (Eph. 5:10). We are to “be careful” how we live, seeking
to be wise (Eph. 5:15). We are to “be filled with the Spirit”, which means “singing
and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father
at all times and for everything,” and “being subject to one another out of
reverence to Christ” (Eph 5:18-21). That last part may raise some eyebrows, but
I believe it just means treating others with humility and respect. And the
guiding principle behind all of this is found in the appeal to “live as
children of light”, which means doing “all that is good and right and true”
(Eph. 5:8-9).
You may be wondering
how any of this helps when you’re in a dark place and struggling to keep going.
For one thing, I think the promise is that no matter where we find ourselves in
this life, Jesus Christ is always there with us, shining the light of God’s
unfailing love. That can be a light for us in dark places. For another thing,
we’re not left to try to do this in our own strength. One of the most important
things the Spirit does in our lives is to give us strength to do what we may
not have otherwise thought we could do. But finally, many have recognized that learning
to practice joy in life, focusing our attention on what we’re grateful for, and
treating others with love, kindness, humility, and respect, are all very
practical strategies for getting through hard times.
For most of us, the
last 18 months have felt like a dark place. The fear, uncertainty, and
isolation of the Covid pandemic continue to affect us all deeply. If you’re
like me, the news that the local risk dial continues to rise has felt like a
gut punch. The very idea of returning to the way things were last year is too
much to bear. So I think that St. Paul’s message is a timely one for us all. But
if you are skeptical whether the prescription of joy, gratitude, humility, and
love can really make a difference for you, I would remind you of the artist
known as “Nightbirde.” Many of us have heard her story and been deeply moved by
the joy, hope, and courage she displays in the face of overwhelming odds in her
battle against cancer. If have, you know that she knows what it’s like to be in
a dark place, but you’ve also seen the beautiful light of faith, hope, joy, and
love that shines so brightly in her face. I pondered whether to mention her in
my sermon, mainly out of respect for her and for you. But I cannot think of a
better representative for what it looks like to be transformed by the light of Christ
in the dark places we go through. May that light encourage, and strengthen, and
guide us all!
[1] ©2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 8/15/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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