Family Faith Practice #4 - Lighting Candles

Lighting a Candle of God’s Presence

We need both light and dark in the world. Yet both can be overwhelming. Too much daylight and we long for the dark which brings stillness, quiet and rest. Too much dark and we look for light to guide our way.

For me, one of the best sights in the world is the warmth of light glowing from a window, seen as I walk through the dark toward the house. Or a campfire guiding the way through the shadowed forest. Or a candle burning on the table in a dark room. There is something about the contrast of dark and light that brings balance and hope to our spirits. It says to us, “All is well with the world in this moment.”

The tradition of lighting candles goes back to ancient times. It has long been the practice within Jewish households for the mother to light the Sabbath candles to mark the beginning of the Shabbat on Friday at sunset and to draw the light to her eyes, the pathway to her soul. So too, we light candles in the Christian church to remind us of the one who said, “I am the light of the world!”

In fact, there was quite a huge debate when electricity became available for everyday use. Was it appropriate to use electricity in churches? Would it take away from our worship? Well, we know that electricity won out, for practical as well as safety reasons – but it did change our worship. While we do light one candle as symbol of God’s presence among us, there is something about gathering to worship in candlelight. Isn’t that why the moment on Christmas Eve, when we sing “Silent Night” by candlelight alone, is so precious to us?

I invite you to light a candle at your supper table – at least once a week, perhaps on Saturday or Sunday night to mark the holy days of our week. As you light it, say:

“We light this candle to help us remember that God is with us; we are not alone.”

or “We are held always in the light of God’s love.”

or “As these candles shine, so God’s light shines in us for everyone to see.”

or “Jesus Christ is the light of the world. May we let our light shine so that others may know Christ’s love.”

Sometimes, you might talk about light, about those images of light in darkness, and how we need both the light and darkness for plants to grow and for our own growth and rest. Chat about what it means that Jesus is the light of the world. Brainstorm ways that each of you can be light in this world, and hope and peace and love.

But you don’t have to talk about it every time. The symbolic action is enough. Seeing the Sunday (or another day) candles lit sticks in our minds. Then in moments when our children or we ourselves are feeling alone, we can remember that candle and the words: “We are held always in the light of God’s love.” Light the candle(s) as a family and let it be a precious faith-filled moment in your lives.