Just One Candle!!

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, and we have fellowship with one another, the blood of Jesus His Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

Although originally debuting in 1971, in Christmas of 1978 there was a Coke commercial that began with one single candle in the darkness and participants singing I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing. As the camera widens, the view is of many people of many different nations and races, all holding candles and singing the song. At the end, you realize they are standing in the shape of a Christmas tree as they sing of harmony and love in the world. Just one candle when the light is shared becomes a beautiful sight of light in the darkness. Oh how far we have come from those days!

It seems a good idea to resurrect this thought of harmony and love in this time of unrest, hatred, division, and general upheaval in this country of ours. We are in a time of darkness that is in desperate need of some light. Who would have imagined an election would cause such divisiveness and disharmony in our great nation? Our democracy has been threatened in so many ways. We could all use just one candle of light.

Last week when much of the area in which we live was suffering the aftermath of Hurricane Zeta, I was texting with friends who were out of electricity. One said, “I’m just sitting here in the darkness.” What a difference just one candle could make in that situation and others like it!

If Christians held out just one candle in this dark time, think how many people might be comforted and strengthened in this world in which we live.

One single candle can be likened to a lighthouse which stands on the shore. What good can a lighthouse really do? It never moves. It can’t run up and down the shore line and rescue a ship. It can’t calm the waters and bring the ship safely to shore. It can’t clear a path for the ship. The miraculous thing it can do is provide a light in the darkness. It can point the way to safety. The light it provides can guide many ships that were in darkness safely to shore. It is a light in the darkness.

There is a reason light was mentioned so many times in the Bible – it’s important to keep the light of Christ burning. The Bible’s account of the ten virgins and their lamps speaks to the importance of keeping the light burning. Five of them were foolish and took no oil for their lamp. Five of them were wise and took enough oil for their lamps. Five of them kept the light burning while five of them were powerless to help.

Mother Teresa takes this parable and adds her thoughts to it with these words: My daughters, what are these drops of oil in our lamps? They are the small things of daily life: faithfulness, punctuality, small words of kindness, a thought for others, our way of being silent, of looking, or speaking and of acting. These are the true drops of love. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. I would add that in doing these things we hold out one small candle of light.

Throughout the New Testament followers of Jesus are called to be lights in the darkness. As we seek to be His light, we are called to be not only hearers of His instruction, but doers as well. What light can be bring to a world in desperate need? Each of us can brighten a dark corner by taking those small things Mother Teresa mentioned, adding them to our of daily life and being faithful to do them.

As we look toward Veteran’s Day and honor our veterans, our men and women who actively serve our country, and the freedom they insure for this country, it’s an special opportunity to thank them for their service to our nation. They bring a light to this country that can never be extinguished.

It’s interesting that the Coke song ends with these words, “It’s the real thing – what the world needs today is the real thing.” There is a “real thing” in this world of today, and his name is Jesus. Jesus is the “real thing” – the light of the world – and the world sorely needs Him today.

God bless our country as we strive to keep the light of freedom, equality and democracy alive and well. God bless us all as we light our one single candle!