the light within

"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place,
neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick,
that they which come in may see the light." (The Gospel according to Luke)

It seems to me that we define ourselves by "doing" much more easily than by "being"
Actions speak louder than words, perhaps, but it is still a form of speaking, and just as
what we say differs from what we do, so what we do differs from what we are.
The reason this verse "speaks" to me is in its use of perspective, it begins very much
framed in the "doing" albeit as a negative "No man", but then it quickly changes into a
"being". We like to think that we can do the right thing, but here is the challenge to be
the right thing, for it is the lot of the Christian to be not the lamplighter but the candle,
fired with the love of the spirit and set as a beacon to mankind with the energy of human
flesh and soul. To be in the world as a guide to others, that the flame may pass from one
to another and there be no dark secret places. Our faith and hope are not made for our
benefit, but for the benefit of "they which come in", known to us and unknown.

Believing, being, belonging is the current catchphrase, and belonging is by far the hardest
part of Christian life. The differences in belief are well-documented, easily exacerbated,
and deeply troubling, but the unity of Christian churches worldwide is easily forgotten.
One God, now and forever, Our Father in Heaven