The Flame We Bear

Today’s reading takes me to John chapter 1. 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” 

that life was the light of mankind

The very life that was in Jesus was passed into us—us meaning every single human being. Every single human being has this divine life and dignity within us.

and the darkness has not overcome it.

Oh God that I could believe that. I look out into our world and it is hard to believe that. 

The darkness has not overcome it.

The darkness has not overcome it.

The darkness will not overcome it. 

This is our future, our destiny, our promise. The darkness will not overcome that life of Christ, passed generously to us so that we could share in it together. So that we could be one with one another and The One. 

There is no darkness that can overcome that light because “even the darkness will not be dark to you…the darkness is as light to you” (Psalm 139:12). 

That prevailing, effervescent, victorious, persistent, un-killable light was passed into us at creation. 

This flame was placed into our palms at the very beginning, along with freedom of choice in what to do next.  

How to make sense of this. How to make sense of those who possess this same light but whose lives pervade darkness; who use their power to snuff out the life of others? How to make sense of this. We are all the same. We want to be different from our oppressors, from those who hate and whom we hate. We all have this same source. How to make sense of this? The same fire that gives light can burn. How to make sense of this? I don’t feed it enough, it wanes; I feed it too much and it rages. 

Stay near, friends; stay near to the eternal flame. Let it feed the light that illuminates us, that connects us to the divine and to one another. I don’t know how to use this light wisely apart from following the example of its original source.

I have neglected to follow that Source’s 

Humility

Servant heart

Putting aside self interest

Bearing of others’ pain

Oneness with the poor, downtrodden, neglected, despised, unjustly treated (Philippians 2)

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. May I do better at bearing well the light you passed into me. 

The darkness has not overcome it.