There is darkness in the world. We might see the darkness in all its hideousness, however, if we look at one example. In October 2013, The Dallas Morning News ran a series about a little girl who endured unspeakable horror at the hands of her mother and stepfather. Lauren’s parents locked her in a closet, deprived and abused her over several years (“The Girl in the Closet,” Dallas Morning News, October 2013). No one could read the reports without revulsion and a sick feeling in the stomach. In one column, the newspaper asked theologians the question that always comes up in our confrontation with the deepest darkness: “Where was God in the ordeal young Lauren faced?” That question, posed to the theologians, might express our occasional feeling that Jesus has left us orphaned.

The church carries on its ministry in a world where the darkness makes too many people think a good God couldn’t possibly have created this world. We minister in a world where the darkness seems stronger and more resilient than the light. But Jesus calls us to carry on the mission, to shine the light in the darkness.