Mark Sorensen “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.” – Mark 10:32
I remember my first job in youth ministry. It was 1996 when I began working as a youth director at First United Methodist Church in Marshall, TX. I loved working at that church. Our youth gatherings were always the last thing that happened on Sunday nights and, though I loved MANY aspects of that job, there was one job duty that I feel as if I can confidently say was my least favorite, hands down. It was locking the church up. See, FUMC Marshall is an old historic church tracing its start back to 1845. It is three stories with multiple levels, a TON of exterior doors and, it was my lucky job every Sunday night to be the ONLY person to walk through that dark, old, creaky church and check and lock every single door. I remember the head of the trustees tell me once that it took him about 30 minutes to lock it up “on a good night.” I am happy to report that, every time I did the church sweep, I knocked it out in about 12 minutes. I’m not kidding. Why? I didn’t walk, I ran. Listen, that place was SCARY in the dark. I just remember praying out loud, singing hymns, and running. And then? Getting out of there. It was my every Sunday night routine and I was thrilled when it was done.
If we’re honest, life can be the same at times, right? [pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Darkness can do that. It makes you feel as if hope is lost. Yet, is it?[/pullquote]
Darkness can do that. It’s overwhelming. You perceive things are there that aren’t. It’s scary and, if we’re not careful, it makes you feel as if hope is lost. Yet, is it? In Mark’s Gospel, we see Jesus is on the way to the cross, and the Scripture says that He is walking ahead of his disciples while those who followed were afraid. If I’m going to be honest, there are moments that I allow fear to win in my life. Situations can become those dark hallways that I ran through so many years ago. Yet this reminder in Mark’s Gospel reminds us all that Christ has gone ahead of us. Little did the disciples know that Jesus would endure the darkest season on Golgotha so that we might find and claim the light, hope, and victory found through the victory given to us all through the cross.
So to you, friends, fear not. Isaiah says it well:
“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.” (Isaiah 50:10)
Don’t let the dark fool you. Christ is right there ahead of you.
