Nicole Kropf

This weekend, I’ve been thinking a lot about the death of Jesus and I’ve been imagining what it must have been like to experience this in real time for those closest to Jesus. To read about his death or bear witness to it in artistic portrayals, I am nearly always drawn to tears. It pains me to allow my mind to imagine Jesus being abandoned by his friends, brutally beaten, cruelly mocked, and insulted and scorned until the moment of his death. So I imagine that his loss would have been immensely more tragic to those who knew him in human form – to the ones who witnessed firsthand his life of love.

I keep thinking about the time between Jesus’ death and resurrection. I imagine that those who loved him felt great despair, certainly, but I also wonder if they felt like evil had won. I imagine those days to have felt very dark – indeed in scripture it says that darkness came over the whole land in the hours before Jesus death. But I imagine also a great emotional darkness for all of his friends. I keep thinking of that time as the waiting place. I imagine all those who loved Jesus waiting in the dark – feeling very sad, very afraid, and very alone.

And I think this year, that feels even more relatable than usual. After all, this is a time of death. The world has experienced more than 100, 000 deaths due to the COVID-19 illness and nearly 2 million physically battling said illness. I think it’s impossible to hear those statistics without feeling the weight of darkness and the steely fingers of fear. It is a time of great sadness. Self-isolation protocols have undoubtedly left many feeling incredibly alone. And I imagine for some of us, it feels a lot like we are waiting in the darkness.

For some of you, even without the current global situation, I know life is hard. I know that some of you are carrying heavy burdens even on your best days. I know that many of you deal with fear and anxiety on an on-going basis (and in this case, I am right there with you). Life is heavy and hard. It is scary and sad and lonely at times. I know that too often it feels like evil is winning over good and like darkness has all but obliterated the light.

And this is precisely why it is so crucial that we take the time to recall not only the death of Jesus but also the resurrection. You see, when the stone was rolled away and the tomb was left empty, good triumphed over evil and light shone again. Not even the power of death could triumph over the force of love. When Jesus rose from the dead, he also called those around him to new life. He gave them new purpose and an unending source of hope.

So my friends, if you find yourselves waiting in the dark – if you feel like hope is lost, please know that because of what Jesus did for humanity, you are never alone or at least you don’t have to be. One of the names of Jesus was Emmanuel – meaning God with us – and my friends, he is. He is with us. Through all of the unknowns and all of the chaos, I’m sure of one thing – He remains a constant. Since the time of his resurrection, those who love him are never without him. He doesn’t leave us waiting in the dark. He may not deliver us immediately into the light, but He waits with us. When all feels lost, love persists and goodness triumphs. No great story ends in darkness. Just as Jesus life didn’t end in death, I’m confident that our story won’t end in fear.

And better still, the life of Jesus calls forth new life in us. We can leave behind the things we no longer need,  the qualities that no longer fit, the choices that no longer serve us, the relationships that restrain and we can put on instead kindness, and goodness, and so much love. We can walk away from fear and move forward in confidence because He goes with us. Whatever we do in love, we can do boldly – knowing that He will multiply it. We don’t have to wait in the dark because the light can live in us.