Children go through a period when they are frightened of the dark. They are convinced that there is a robber inside their clothes closet. They are sure there is some kind of ethereal character lurking about in the basement. Beyond a doubt, they are of the conviction that there is a ghost-like essence biding time beneath their bed. Children usually outgrow that stage, but occasionally you find those who don’t, and they carry this fear of the darkness into their adult lives. In one of my former congregations, there was a young lady who suffered from this fear and reported to me that she never went to bed without leaving a light on.

The themes of light and darkness, of course, are in no way new themes on the scene. They have held a fascination for people since primitive times. And along the …