One Little Candle - [ BRoME ]

Then God said, "Let there be light".  Gen 1:3

It is better to light just one little candle,
Than to stumble in the dark!
Better far that you light just one little candle,
All you need’s a tiny spark!

The song "One Little Candle" saw the light of day in 1952 before I was born.  I have held it my heart since the first time I heard it during the graduation ceremony of my first Life in the Spirit Seminar. When somehow some darkness creeps in, seeming to dispel the light in our lives, it is a comfort to know that we have the power inside us to bring forth light.  The first creation was Light expressed by God explicitly that I could imagine the words to have been said with such tremendous ferocity that Light as a principle exploded out of the utterance of yehiy 'or (Let there be light!).  The evangelist John speaks of Christ being Light.  The first chapter of his Gospel says it in no uncertain terms: the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:3).  This Light was the Logos, the Word,  without whom nothing came to be (John 1:2).  Our Sonship in God's family is born out out of our accepting the Logos.   But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, (John 1:12).   This same Sonship that allows us to call God Abba, the most intimate title of God.  Gal 4:6.  And being children of God, we all have the power inside of us to bring forth Light like the Logos, Jesus himself.  Jesus said that He is the light of the world. John 9:5.  After His ascension, Jesus no longer has a physical presence.  We the Body of Christ are His physical presence.  Christ has no hands but your hands; no feet but your feet; no face but your face.  So now it is incumbent upon us to continue the work of Christ.  Jesus also declares that You are the light of the world.  Matt 5:14.  In our little way, we continue this challenge of bringing light to the world in the face of darkness around us.   We are to be the light of the world.  We are to be tiny sparks proclaiming the Kingdom of God.  We are to light our little candle to bring the Light of Christ to others.  This we do in humility for our Light is borrowed light. Like the moon borrows light from the sun, we borrow from the Light of Christ.  Teresinha Paiva said this: "He who lights a candle is the first one to be illuminated."  [1*]  We are the first ones to be illuminated by the light of Christ.  We receive before we give.  It is all grace.  Paulo Barbosa comments on this as follows:  "He who the Lord Jesus lights up, with His grace and power, no sooner than he is illuminated that he fills with light the places upon which his feet tread." [2*] Wherever he goes, the light of Christ goes.  During that first Life in the Spirit Seminar in Horsley Park, where all participants were given candles, the lights were passed from one person to the other, signifying that we are not the source of the light, that we need to share our light, that somehow we are all responsible for one another, and that we are on a global mission to pass on that light to others.

Lord, shine within our souls that you may shine in glory wherever Your divine will sends us. Amen. 

Let that George Mysels/Joseph Malloy Roach song further resound in the echoing chant of our spirit:

If we’d all say a prayer that the world would be free,
The wonderful dawn of a new day we’ll see!
And, if everyone lit just one little candle,
What a bright world this would be!

Copyright 2009 BroMe

[1*] "Quem acende uma vela é o primeiro que se ilumina".  Teresinha Paiva

[2*] "Aquél a quien el Señor Jesus enciende, con Su gracia y poder, no apenas se alumbra como llena de luz los lugares por donde sus pies huellan."  Paulo Barbosa