One Little Candle

"You are the light of the world, A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick: and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify you Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

Candles are a very special part of Christmas. If you notice they are everywhere right now. Most are the battery opearated ones that sit in the windows of houses. My own church has them in the windows of the Sunday School building. It's amazing the difference those little lights can make. I remember the year we didn't have those lights because the lady who provides them every year was called into active duty. It was dark and almost sad to even look at it.
But how important is one candle compared to a whole lot of them?
My sister-in-law remarked the other day about something that got me thinking. Every year she went to camp as a girl. One year they did an expierement by turn off all the lights and them lighting one candle right in the middle of the room.
Now you would expect that the candle would make enough light to shine in the middle of the room, but the amazing thing is dispite the fact that it was a small candle in a large room, everyone in the room could see no matter where they were.
As Christians are we shinning our light in the middle of the room?
DO we think that because we are the only light of Christ in our work place or home or even class room we can't help others around us see in the dark room?
Just as that little candle in the middle of the cabin that summer night shone brightly casting light on all four walls, we as God's Lights to the world should shine our lights so that everyone can see. And the most amazing thing about letting your light shine is that while you are willing to shine your light, others will see that same light and start to shine their own lights that they have hidden.
If you have ever done an expierment with fire, you know that if you put a fire in a glass jar, it will quickly poof out because it has not Oxygen. The same with our lights. If we cover our lights so that no one can see them, they will sufficate and disappear.
I love the illustration my father gives every year on Christmas Eve about on light shinning in the world. As we sing "Silent Night" at the end of the Candle light service, we all stand in a circle around the church and light our candles. Then we turn out the lights and sing while our candles are burning. Then while the lights are still out we blow out the candles leaving the original candle that helped light all the rest of the candles still going. Then we are remind about the Light of the World and how before Christ came into the world there was now hope, but when he was born in the stable and laid in a manger and visited by both the poor and the rich, he brought with him hope by being the Light of the World.
And as he trained his disciples and they in turn introduced others to Christ, the used the Light of Christ to bring light and hope to the rest of the world.
This Christmas let's be a candle shining in the middle of the room introducing everyone else to the Light of the World so that they can light their own candles spread the Light of Christ.