We all prefer message which are encouraging and uplifting, but the gospel deals with, and explains, the reality of a world that is full of darkness. ‘The dark side’ is a reality which we cannot ignore. Jesus is the Light of the world (Jn 8:12), but in this life, death and the grave have an enormous influence on life. Job 17:13-15 talks of how we can easily lose hope in the midst of adversity. Life is rather like a coin – we can live with Jesus in the light, but it is all too easy to live without Him in the dark.
The psalmists frequently acknowledge the fact that among the dead, no one proclaims God’s name. (Ps 6:5) Graveyards are generally silent, solemn places. For many, death is seen as the end, and there is no hope of life after death. It matters enormously which side we choose, whether to live in God’s light or to continue in the darkness of the world. For those who belong to God, we have assurance that even though we walk through the darkest valley, we need fear no evil, for God is with us. (Ps 23:4) That assurance needs to be our daily hope and sustenance.
We do not live with Christ fully yet, but still dwell in a world torn by pain, sin, suffering and grief. Jesus gives us purpose and a path to follow, but we have a choice whether we live wholly for Him or whether we will allow the grave and darkness to have the last word in our lives. The grave has power to separate us from loved ones and can easily dominate our lives, but if our lives are hidden with God, we have a helper at our side who promises to hold us up and shines His light into our darkness.
Jesus went to the cross so that we can be liberated from the grave’s power and the fear of death. Death will come to us all and we have no control over the timing of this. We can, however, choose to live in the constancy of the life of Christ and therefore face death with hope and confidence. In Christ, the constant is life, but without Him, death has the last word. The choice is ours. God wants us to choose Christ and to choose life.