Revelation & Glory

In the tender mercy of our God the dayspring from on high has broken upon us, to give light to those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Lord God, the source of everlasting light, pour into the hearts of your people the brilliance of your eternal splendour, bless these candles that we, who by these kindling flames light up this temple to your glory, may have the darkness of our souls dispelled, and so be counted worthy to stand before you in that eternal temple where you live and reign, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

KaliBug's February Challenge: 16) Light

Knowing that 'light' was coming up as a theme in the challenge, I had saved this candle from the Candlemas service at Durham Cathedral on 2nd Feb. Amazingly, despite the fact that I have been going to church since I was born, this was the first time I had been to such a service. And it was so worth it. There were 2000 candles, two Christmas trees and the crib scene decorating the building, amazing choral music, candles to hold, Holy Communion, incense ... a truly multi-sensory experience!

Candlemas marks the last event in the Christmas story; the offering the baby Jesus to the Lord in accordance with Jewish tradition (Luke 2: 22-40). I believe it used to be considered to mark the end of Christmas, rather than Epiphany, hence the trees. The story goes that when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple, a prophet called Simeon recognised him as the Saviour and declared he was 'a light for revelation and for glory'.

Apart from the incense triggering my asthma (!), the service was beautiful in every respect and presented a wonderful message hope. I love the image of Christ as a light. There is nothing forceful and controlling about it, or judgmental. It merely indicates that He will show us the way before us and banish the darkness. Light is friendly, celebratory, helpful, and essential for growth and physical/ mental well-being.

Thou Whose Almighty Word - one of the hymns from the service, only we sang it to the proper words not the updated version!