Post 79 Chaplain Larry Williamson

Let there be Light December 2015

Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended

Isaiah 60:20

We are long since past the days when people used candles as a light source, but we continue to light them in church for a variety of reasons: to signify the uniting of two families during wedding ceremonies, to mark the Sundays in Advent and to remember and honor our loved ones who are deceased. Grief, whether fresh or old and familiar, can weigh heavily at Christmas time. Memories of earlier holidays, shared with those we’ve since lost, are sorrowful and bittersweet, especially against a backdrop of what appears to be no-stop celebration all around. The steady glow of a candle flame serves to remind us of the constancy of God’s love for the living and for the dead.

Every time we light a candle in memory of someone we’ve lost, we are stating our profound belief in the promises of Christmas: That Jesus will be our guide, that light and life will ultimately triumph over darkness and death, and that the victory will be eternal.