Where’s the darkest place you’ve ever been? Were you comfortable there? The darkest place I’ve ever been was deep inside a cave, far from the entrance. Our guide warned us, then he switched off all the illumination.

We instinctively waved our hands in front of our eyes, hoping we could see some of the movement. Nothing. No thing. I’m grateful I was holding onto something and that the guide kept talking. It helped me get and keep my bearings.

There is usually something repelling and scary to me about darkness. Maybe it was all those stories we told each other as kids about the evil that lurked under the cloak of darkness, hiding from us in order to pounce out of the shadows unseen. From that closet or under the bed or out of those darkened woods!

As we grew, we came to realize that, most of the time, there was nothing in the closet at night that wasn’t there in the daytime.

I’ve also have come to the opinion that the greatest dangers lie, not in physical darkness or literal shadows, but in the darkness within a soul. That’s what scares me more: lies, hate, fear, corruption, selfishness, bigotry, vengeance. Jesus said that true evil comes from inside our hearts, not from outside our bodies [Mtt. 15:11]. We then use darkness and misdirection to hide all of that from others.

In the Gospel reading for Sunday (John 3:17-21), which takes place right after the famous quote about God so loving the world that he sent his Son, Jesus warns us that some people hate the light that exposes them.

Where have you seen people hiding in darkness? When have you done so? Careful! The other Sunday scripture (1st John 1:5-10) warns us that, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.

When are you most likely to come to the light, most open to being exposed for who you really are? What do we miss when we lurk back in the shadows?

As always, I would love to get your comments or questions — ahead of time or afterwards. Just click here.