Light in the Darkness

Monthly Pastoral Reflection for March 2023 by Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo

“I will always show you where to go.

I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places…” Isaiah 58:4 (MSG)

A couple of Sundays ago, Pr. Jenna, in her message, reminded us that the festival of the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus marked the transition from Epiphany to Lent. She said that light is in us and emanates through our lives as we go on in our daily lives. It is a time to reflect the light of God’s glory in the dark places in life.

For me, like for many of you (I believe) those moments of darkness and disorientation caused by unexpected events in life, lead us to paralysis. Our hopes, dreams, and even our lives seem to crumble into pieces. Many times life crushes all of who we are into dust which is scattered and lost in the emptiest of spaces.

That is also true in our life as a community of faith. As a congregation, we have touched bottom several times. We have experienced a fire, conflicts, transitions, and a pandemic which disoriented us, and paralyzed us.

Even when we recognize it and want to do something about it, or to move on, we can’t do it. Under such circumstances, we commonly wait for someone else to do it for us, and in the meantime, nothing happens. As a result of it, we become tired of doing the same thing harder and harder yet getting the same result, we grow frustrated, discouraged, and angry. And even if we begin to move, we do not like the direction, style, or approach. We succumb to despair.

That is not new. I like to think of the Lord looking at us (through history) and nodding his head with a compassionate chuckle, looking at us, and saying “here we go again.” I have told you that I will always show you where to go.

This Lenten season we will walk a journey in different levels of our life as disciples of the Lord. We will enter the story of Jesus' journey from the entrance to Jerusalem to the cross of Calvary. We will let the dust of our crushed l