Oct 26th, 2020: Being a Light
One of my favourite services during Christmas time is the Candlelight Service. It is a meaningful time because families would come with their relatives from out of town. That gives us a sense of our community and its extension. The ritual of that service is how people light their candles. It is from one candle to another. The light slowly permeates the sanctuary. It gives participants a feeling of warmness even when it is cold outside.
The light passes from one candle to another. Eventually, everyone's candle will lit up. It is a symbol of how a Christian life should be, to be the light that brings hope to the darkness surrounding it. What does that mean for us as we continue to deal with the various challenges of Covid-19? The best way for us to bring hope to our community is not to lose sight of the importance of human relationships. It is easy to be indifferent and frustrated as this pandemic drags on. Indifference is worse than hatred. It is like cancer that destroys the vibrancy of life for any community.
The light that keeps people together. We have to try harder to remain in contact with our families, friends and one another. Be more intentional with those who seem to withdraw and become secluded. When we stay together, we will be able to go through this time a lot safer. We might have our differences, but we need to remember that what we have in common outweighs our differences. We need to pray that we have a comforting presence when we are with one another.
The light that helps us to see things better. Clarity is what we need now after the barrage of confusion we have to encounter during the last few months. It is the light that grants us wisdom and discernment while dealing with an excessive amount of info coming our way. It will give us the courage not to compromise what is the truth and the patience to know how to respond wisely. Let us aim to be positive when we are together. Remind ourselves that although we don't have control over all aspects of our lives, we can monitor our responses.
Colossians 1: 9-14
"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
