Spring is on the calendar this week.  

That magical square that may say Equinox — equal light and dark. Officially it is “one of two times a year when Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in roughly equal day and night lengths across the globe.” I guess one could say the earth is in neutral. 

Then the swing begins — for our part of the world this time of year, toward the light. Having been an Alaskan for 14 years I know the immense feeling of welcome this is — after a “long winter's night.” There is a buoyancy of spirit with the return of light. 

Yet even so, I had an Alaskan friend who loved those long cozy nights. They were not alienating for her at all. And the night does cast its own beauty. That lunar eclipse a few days ago was stunning. I watched it from the deck, right over our roof. 

My favorite phase was when Earth's shadow began to recede, and that bright glimmer of moon cast its light on the ground around me. Seeing the two connected like that — earth shadow on moon and moon light on earth made it seem like the two were briefly “holding hands” in our beautiful Milky Way galaxy. 

Isn't interesting though, that some of the things to love about the dark have to do with light — the moon and stars, for one. Living in Minnesota it was such a fanciful sight to watch the fireflies scooting about the night with their little bright sparks giving them away. And who does not love sitting beside a campfire while the flames dance on a darkened stage. 

You can be sure my friend in her long cozy Alaskan nights had a lamp on low or a candle lit. Because even with seven kids — perhaps because of all those children — she was up those dark mornings spending time with God, getting her day off to an encouraging beginning.  

Long before Jesus, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah proclaimed of Him, “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.”  

Light is crucial to darkness — a flashlight, a lantern, a lamp, a candle, moon and stars. Night has its purpose, giving rest and quiet and peace, casting its own “coziness.” But that's different from the darkness that holds no goodness — no hope. Both goodness and hope are what Jesus brings — “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.”  

Here is no equinox — no equal light and equal dark — no earth in neutral. Jesus is all light. I don't know about anybody else, but in our world's troubled times — and in the troubles that come into my life — someone who is all light sounds really good to me.