Walk in the Light

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this Jesus said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” John 11:1-16

It is often easier to avoid conflict and challenging situations than to walk into them. I find myself veering away from places and people who feel threatening and dangerous. It is a natural reaction, yet Jesus called himself back to a place where danger was ever present, faced the worst, all out of love. And we too are called, from time to time, to face the hard places and people, the situations we desire most to avoid. In the healing of those places and people, we learn how to walk in the light of God. 

Loving Creator, you know our troubles

and you walk with us in the hard places

bringing your light to the very darkness

surrounding us with life, even in death.

We shy from the places you have called us

we hide behind our fear and our failures

yet you have promised to deliver us always

leading us through the storms to your light. Amen.