Let's start at the very beginning...

...its a very good place to start. About the title of my blog: I often have a candle burning in my office. One day Rick (my Associate Minister) stopped in to talk to me while I was pressing in the outer edges of the candle toward the flame. Curious, Rick asked what I was doing.

It helps the candle burn evenly and straight all the way down to the bottom if you work every now and again to shape the top of the candle. In addition, by pressing in the edges you are able to see the flame as it burns.

A properly constructed candle in the right environment should burn all the way to the bottom, flame visible, melting the wax and burning it as it goes. However, so many things effect the way a candle burns: the type of paraffin wax, the candle’s thickness, the size and make-up of the wick, room temperature, air currents, and perhaps as important as any of the factors the amount of time the candle is burned each sitting. Even a perfectly constructed candle in the perfect environment can burn poorly if only burned for a short time. That is how a candle gets ‘high edges’ and you can’t see the flame anymore. Indeed, the best way to ‘fix’ a candle in such a state is to burn it for a long period of time and shape it as it burns. It takes a lot of patience and time as the wax has to warm up sufficiently to press without cracking and breaking.

Throughout the history of the church candles have been used to symbolize Christ’s presence as light of the world. In the sanctuary at First Christian Church, Stillwater (www.fcc-stw.org), we have a Christ Candle that sits on the table in front of the cross reminding us of Christ’s presence in our worship and at the table. That light, that presence of Christ is shared with each believer so that the light of Christ shines through us as well.

Just like candles were made to hold a flame and be shaped by the heat, so we are created to stand in the presence of and be shaped by the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The longer we stand intentionally in the presence of God and are aware of God around us, the more we are shaped by God.

Standing in the presence of God and being shaped by God’s presence takes time and patience. Sometimes it is hard to hear God’s voice when we haven’t been listening for a while and we have to focus our attention so directly. It is hard to see Christ’s light when there are so many obstacles in our way. It takes commitment because sometimes it does ‘burn’ a little as God confronts and challenges us to be the people God created us to be! And yet it can also be warm as we sit in the embrace of God we so desperately need.

Shalom Y'all!