7-31-23<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have been thinking a lot about candles recently. Maybe it\u2019s because it\u2019s the wick-end. Maybe I\u2019m just thinking of an old flame. Perhaps I am just waxing nostalgic\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OK. That\u2019s<\/em> out of my system. Honestly, I have been thinking about candles. I have a new friend who is \u201cinto\u201d candles, for all the right reasons \u2013 in these hurried times, they represent serenity; they release fragrance; their glow is peaceful. And with other friends \u2013 and in my own moments of meditation lately \u2013 I have been longing for traditional, \u201colder\u201d forms of worship. Older for me; older in history\u2019s unfolding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Candles remind us of when churches were lit by candlelight. Of matins<\/em> services, of Christmas-Eve candlelight worship, when the soft glow of many candles enveloped us in gentle light. I have been in cathedrals in Europe where the glow of uncountable candles is as central to the spirit of worship as the echoing strains of an organ, and the distant voices of a choir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026 complementing, of course the sharing of the Word, the message of a sermon, the presence of the Lord. No candles or choirs or architecture can substitute, only complement. But, oh, they do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I increasingly yearn for quiet, reverent, may I say \u201cglowing,\u201d worship these days. I have been blessed by exuberance, unallayed joy, excited praise\u2026 but no less by seeking \u2013 and finding \u2013 the Lord in those quiet places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are some religious traditions that use<\/em> candles in worship. Older faiths turn them into formal elements of service and even offerings. There are newer faiths that almost make fetishes of candles, creating \u201cmystery\u201d environments that are parts of multi-media experiences with video screens, smoke machines, and such. In both cases, worshipers ought be careful not to let candles or any other human-manufactured props substitute for the actual<\/em> presence of the Holy Spirit; or the real<\/em>, not symbolic, \u201cmystical presence\u201d of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let us return here to appreciate candles in all their variety and what they bring to our lives. What they can add! Yes, their moods and aromas and beauty; but what they represent too. For instance, it is not necessarily New-Agey to see tens of thousands of candles at a rally, or during a concert\u2019s closing song, or during a patriotic moment, waving in unison. A single candle, placed in honor by a casket or during a memorial event, can be profound. Candles at home, or in a hospital room by a picture of a departed loved one, touch our hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover \u2013 you knew this was coming \u2013 we easily can see spiritual messages. Jesus told us, recorded in John 8:12, I am the Light of the world<\/em>, and surely He is. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You must know the verse too: Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven <\/em>(Matthew 5:15,16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have always been impressed by this graphic truth: If you were in the blackest of black places, say the darkest night, no moon or stars \u2013 \u201cpitch black\u201d \u2013 you know that if a single candle, a dime-store candle, were lit, miles away, you would see it flickering, piercing the blackness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you were in a place of blinding light \u2013 let\u2019s say a parched desert under a midday sun \u2013 and you held up something dark, let\u2019s say an open box on its side, you could not see its dark interior more than a few dozen feet away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This little light of mine\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that song? Yes, about candles\u2026 about light\u2026 and what we do with them. In the same way, about the flames of candles, another lesson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the wax melts away, candles might go out, but that is a function of the wax, not the flame itself. You can light candle after candle after new candle, \u201cpassing along\u201d the flame of that first candle\u2026 and those acts do not shorten the life of that flame\u2026 nor dim the candle\u2019s glow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be candles. Be light. Be the flames. Share your flames. Glow until others are lit too, and warmed. Be fragrant! Light the way for others. Pierce the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Holy Spirit would have us do something more than just be lit, so to speak; or to shine only where we are. Step out of your candle-holder, climb down from your candelabra. Walk \u2013 no; run \u2013 into the darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This world is a dark place, and growing blacker, darker, all the time. People are stumbling, lost; sometimes they simply cannot see. Light their way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n