January 9, 2008: Seeking the Light of Christ
“In a situation where habits, established institutions, social and economic structures are leading us to destruction, Christ is our one hope. In quietness and in unexpected places Christ is bringing something new to birth, something we cannot foresee and build our plans upon” (Christian Existence in a World of Limits, John B. Cobb, Jr). In Kenya, the bodies of children are being piled up in a Nairobi morgue, Churches are being burned, and people are running around with machetes. It is a country in the midst of a huge political crisis. In Pakistan, a few weeks ago, the former prime minister, Harvard and Oxford educated, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Voting in Pakistan’s democratic government has been put on hold. In the Middle East, regardless of your opinion on the war, civil unrest and consistent violence are realities no one can escape. Yet both the Gospel of Matthew and Isaiah today tell us “the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.” What is “the darkness”?