The Twelfth Carol of Christmas

           I love Christmas Eve service. My favorite part is the candlelight portion.

           I love it when they turn off all the lights and our only illumination emanates from the candles held by each person. One small candle each for about three-hundred people equals a great deal of light.
          The beautiful thing about fire is that it's not, in itself, a quantifiable substance. The church doesn't need to purchase two crates of fire along with the candles. The ushers simply walk along the end of each row with a lighter, and the single flame gets passed down from candle to candle all the way down the row.

          Just like that, the fire is multiplied. All you need is one little spark to light a thousand candles. All we needed was one Son of God to make many children of God. All we needed was one baby in a manger to ignite a spark that will never be extinguished and will keep growing until Christ's return.
         I speak to all the Christians who are reading this. You and I have a great responsibility. We each hold a lighted candle that has been passed on to us. It is now our job to pass that flame to as many others as we possibly can.

          We must not take our candle to a quiet, peaceful, lonely place and hide it away. It must sit on the lamp-stand, in the center of our sphere of influence, to share its light with everybody.

          Christmastide is a reminder of this responsibility. Christ was like the usher with the lighter at the beginning of the row. Now the flame has come to us, and we must light the candle of the person standing next to us.


           This is how it goes. Join with me, my brothers and sisters. Together, with Christ's strength, we can light a thousand candles, proclaiming the birth of our glorious Lord.



               Let's go ahead and sing a thousand carols while we're at it. Would you like to join me?

        Merry Christmas!

             Much Love,
              ~ Christianna