Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
We took our kids to the first ever Pearlside Downtown Christmas Eve church service. It was beautiful under hanging stringed light bulbs, an illuminated old building adorned with wreaths, gold chairs lined up in the courtyard, candlelight and worship under the star-lit heavens. But it was also chaotic to keep a 2 year old boy still and a 4 year old girl quiet from asking non-stop questions in her loud and curious voice. :p
Chris held one candle, I held two. The wind kept blowing them out and I’d have to light the candle in my left hand with the one in my right and vice versa. We tried desperately to be in the moment but soon, I’d have to relight Chris’s candle and soon after he would relight mine as the wind continued to blow them out. Chris even tried cupping his hand around the flame to shield it from the wind. To add to the frustration, Aubrey even tried blowing out my candles. I saw our little flames struggle to hold onto just the tiny little blue flame of life left. But when I held the two candles together, it’s like they fed off of one another and burned brighter when their wicks touched.
At that moment, it was like God was telling me, that the devil will always try to take out our light. It’s never ending. He doesn’t want us to shine and show the world God’s light. He will send the winds and the fear (of the wax dripping onto your hands) or even others close to us to try and blow out our fire. It will be a struggle and we can’t do it alone. We need to surround ourselves with others so together, we can take the little blue flames we have and ignite each other to create a larger orange flame.
Just then, as we were singing “Silent Night,” (which is all we really wanted wanted as we looked down at our wriggling kids with sticky hands from candy canes that they rubbed onto our clothes), both Chris and my candles all went out. We looked at each other and sort of laughed. Then, without hesitation, it was like the usher was watching and was suddenly right beside us to light Chris’s candle with the lighter again and then Chris turned and I touched my candle to his, and was on fire again.
It was at that moment that the Holy Spirit spoke and said, I am always near. I am always watching. Stay close to me. I am your source and even in the times when your fire goes out, just call on me and I can bring you light again in the darkness.