December 6 was one of those marathon Sundays--a big Centennial Celebration for Broad Street UMC then off to 3 Charge Conferences. My administrative assistant thoughtfully scheduled churches that were not far away and the last stop on the circuit was a church just down the road from my home. Arriving in my neighborhood at 6: 15 p.m., I had about 20 minutes before I needed to head for my last stop. So I turned down the road to my house to catch my breath.
Instead, I experienced something that took my breath away.
I should back up and say that I live in the neighborhood of one of my churches -- New Salem UMC. My grandsons and I love to walk the short block to the playground there. Connor has been to Bible School and Trunk Or Treat at my neighbor church. Last year, the boys and I went to their "Walk to Bethlehem" -- a very impressive live experience of the Christmas story.
This year, I was doing Charge Conferences the night of the Walk to Bethlehem and my little boys were in a Live Nativity of their own in their new church.
New Salem's "Walk to Bethlem" involves a lot of setting up of flares and candlelight so that people can see how to go from one station to the next. When I turned onto New Salem Road, I knew there would be a lot of activity in the field on the left.
And I was right about that. There was a big crowd.
But, what stunned me was what I saw on the right hand side of the road.
The right hand side of the road is the New Salem Cemetery. I pass it every day. After my friends' Jan Brittain and Cecil Donahue's son was killed and buried in that cemebery in September of last year, I have walked in or through that cemetery praying for them. What I saw that night in the cemetery took my breath away.
Every grave had a burning candle, softly shedding light and illuminating the stones. There it was -- light shining from a place that represents our deepest darkness. And the words from the gospel of John flew all over me: "In Him was life and that life was the light for all. And the light shone in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome it." (John 1: 4,5)
I came home --not to catch my breath, but to get my camera.
I parked my car, walked in the darkness and tried to get a picture of the amazing sight I was experiencing. I found myself weeping--overcome by the vision of light breaking through the darkness. Light in penetrating darkness.
I love John 1:5. But, in reality, I feel so many times that the darkness in the world smothers the light of God. Meanness, selfishness, greed, arrogance, prejudice, hate , disease, brokenness, death. Sometimes, it feels like the darkness is winning. As I stood looking at hundreds of candles burning at each marker, I was experiencing the testimony of John's words. The darkness -- however dark-- does not win. The light of Christ will prevail and shine in life's deepest darkness.
Yes! I know that to be true for the deepest darknesses of my own life. But in that tired moment, seeing the light at every grave glowing in the shadow of the lighted steeple -- well, it took my breath away.
Later, I learned that the lighting of the cemetery is a project the New Salem youth began last year after Wade was buried there. New Salem's "Walk to Bethlehem" is certainly worth coming to and I enjoyed it last year. But this year, I also got the message of Christ's coming into the world. This year, I got it by walking in a candlelit cemetery.
Later, I learned that this cemetery lighting is a project that the youth of New Salem UMC began last year after Wade died.
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