Pastoral Reflection
In reflecting on light and darkness in this season of Christmas and Epiphany, Evergreen Presbyterian Church is delving into Barbara Brown Taylor's book
Learning to Walk in the Dark. It's Taylor's reflections on the "dark night of the soul" and what it means live out a "lunar" spirituality.
In her introduction, she reminisces about her childhood fear of the dark and how the imagination conjures up images of monsters under the bed or in the closet once the lights go out. Rather than exploring her fears with her and finding ways to "breathe into the darkness," her parents decided on an easy fix and plugged in a night light. As a child, Taylor was never forced to come to terms with her fear of the dark.
She compares this experience to spiritual practices. She states that she believes we need the dark! Do we look for easy fixes and avoid the hard work of the dark night or do we develop our skills in navigating difficult circumstances with our faith intact? I would add the question of how many individuals walk away from their faith because of a dark night experience? A lack of satisfying answers regarding God's role in those moments can be challenging. Perhaps the witness of the Church's ability to walk in the dark acts as a critical connecting point for those outside the church.
May we the Church find ways to live out the reality of a present and loving God as we cultivate our hope and develop our own lunar spirituality.
Amen
Rev. Dr. Jennifer Bales
Director of Communications
Presbytery of San Jose
