These days seem darker than ever. People don’t smile. Simple greetings of Hello are met with empty stares. Shelves are bare. Churches are gathering virtually. Friends can’t hang out in the same place. Gyms are closed. Barber shops and hair salons are forced to keep customers away. Nothing is normal. Darkness has descended on this land. But…

This week is a powerful week for those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus. This is the pinnacle week of our year. For some it’s Christmas but for disciples of Christ the week known as Holy Week is by far the most powerful time of the year. This week moves from light to dark to an incredible light that’s so bright we can’t even stand in its presence.

I’d like to offer a reminder to those of you who feel as if the darkness is pressing in tighter with each passing day. With every new layer of restriction and command for isolation the distance between us grows beyond comprehension. But there’s a light that shines still.

This week we’ll celebrate the night of Jesus’ betrayal, trial and ultimately his death. Normally we’d leave the sanctuary in total quiet with darkness as the theme for the night. But not this week. This week we will leave a light on as a reminder that the grave is empty. The greatest battle ever fought upon this earth was with an invisible enemy far stronger than what we face today in this virus. It was more deadly. Its effects more far reaching. It was devastating in its impact. But it failed. It was defeated. Death was swallowed up in resurrection life. The grave was conquered when it was no longer occupied.

This darkness we’re living in right now is terrible. It has us questioning everything we’ve ever known to be true. It’s oppressive and burdensome. But let me let you in on a little secret…God knows how to handle this darkness. God has already broken this darkness too. God has this thing well under control. We are called to follow where he leads. We’ve been called to walk boldly into the unknown land before us, trusting in his guidance.

I don’t know what you see when you look into the world, but church all that’s out there is an empty grave. Jesus has won. He is victorious. We will rise to fight another day.