Through a Glass Darkly: Volume IV Issue 1 "Out of the Darkness"

editors’ note

Finding evidence of darkness is not exactly a difficult task. All it takes is the buzz of a news notification, a radio on in the background, a glance at a website’s homepage, a scroll through instagram. Be it the lingering effects of pandemic, war, cost of living crisis, heartbreaking mental health statistics, or the latest political scandal, there is always the next story of injustice, loss, difficulty, darkness to remind us of the brokenness of our world.

The good news never seems to make the biggest headlines. It can be suffocating. This doesn’t mean we should bury our heads in the sand, ignoring those things that make us uncomfortable - it is reality, and to deny it or hide from it is dangerous.

Yet, it can be suffocating, and it’s just as important to look out for those glimmers of hope among headlines of doom. The no longer endangered animals in an era of rapid climate breakdown. The reclaimed cities no longer lost to those who stole them in war. A Clubcard deal on your favourite snack on a shelf of everincreasing prices. Obscured though our vision may be, even in the thickest of forests, there’ll be a break in the trees, and eventually, a shaft of light, giving hope of a way out.

When we met as a team to discuss a theme for this issue, we felt strongly that we needed to reflect this tension. How could we choose a title that tells exclusively of positivity and joy without leaving space to grapple with the pain that surrounds many of us. Singing of sunshine and rainbows amidst such evident storm clouds which call for our attention. However, there is good news! And as Christians, we believe in a God that is good and faithful and present even in the midst of the most intense suffering. Thus, Out of the Darkness was born.

This issue wrestles with the challenges of coming out of the darkness. The things it can be painful to let go of, the wounds we have to heal

as we truly take hold of the promise of light. It is a gradual process. The sun does not rise all at once, it pops its head above the horizon as if to check the coast is clear, before painting the sky in an explosion of colour, and shining on reliably throughout the day. Throughout this issue there are pieces that speak to all stages of the process. Celebrations of the brightest of lights, alongside the darker stages that precede it.

But remember, those places of darkness can also be backdrops for beauty. It is underground, in the dark and damp, that a seed germinates and life is created. Many people sleep best with the lights off and doors closed - a warm and safe environment lending itself to deep rest. When we are lost and can’t see the way, such a humbling reminder of our humanity can lead to a beautiful (though not always easy!) surrendering of control, where we rely on God more than ever to guide us.

So, we invite you to glance, read, spend whatever moment you have and reflect on this collection of carefully crafted pieces offered by our talented contributors. We hope that it blesses you and encourages you of the hope that comes from being loved by a God who deeply understands, and promises to walk with us through our darkness.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

Susie Dowsett and Lily Carson TAGLY Exec