Light of Peace
The season leading up to Christmas has been a unique one at our house this year. Since neither of our sons and their families will be with us, we combined our celebrations for birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in October and November in Missouri and Minnesota. For the only time all year, our entire family was together for our grandson’s 2nd birthday. It had to be enough.
Jim and I went into Advent knowing we would have a low-key, less hectic Christmas and New Year and that was okay with us. What we didn’t count on, was that a sweet couple from our church family traveled to Busch Stadium last week to obtain a piece of the flame originating in Bethlehem and brought it to our little congregation in southern Illinois.
For 33 years, a child from Austria has traveled to the grotto in which Jesus is believed to have been born in Bethlehem, to light a lantern (or two) that would eventually travel all over Europe and more recently, the rest of the world, to share the peace and goodwill from the eternal flame. (https://www.peacelight.org/history/default.html)
So this year, the flame reached First United Methodist Church in little ‘ol Carrier Mills, IL (population less than 2,000) and we took a flicker from it. The cool thing about a flame is that it can be reduced to a dying, smoldering spark or brought to a roaring conflagration at any moment, without reducing the flame it came from. Our flame has been burning all week and we too, have shared it with others.
In this season of reflection and renewed hope, every time we pass by the warmth and light of that flame in our kitchen, whether consciously or unconsciously, it reminds us of its representation. Calm, reverence, and peace abide. We have tended it, moving it from an oil burner to larger candles a few times. There are no rules. We decided to keep it going until the morning after Christmas.
Whether one is Christian or not, the sheer determination in passing the Light of Peace from one side of the planet to the other without allowing it to extinguish is astounding. Merry Christmas to you and your family as we pass the peace to you.
10 Comments
joanne kirkland
Such a wonderful reminder of the hope of peace.
admin
And such a constant hourly (if not more often) reminder this week!
Shaw Jeri
Beautiful, Holy & Community! Lots o love Js
admin
Isn’t it incredible?
David
Calm, reverence and peace is a message for all of humankind. Thanks for the reminder.
admin
That it is, my friend, that it is.
Becky
God bless you Carla and Jim. Prayers for time, peace. Joy, and God’s grace. Merry Christmas. I am trembling thinking of that precious flame burning in my li’l old home church. Praise God! And I presume M&M are responsible.
admin
Thank you, Becky. What a special thought, how the precious flame was burning in your home church. No, it was Rodney and Claudia responsible for this, but definitely something M&M could have done, too!
Anonymous
That is really amazing. I might share it with a few friends.
admin
Absolutely. Share away. And thank you!