Carry the
Flame
“You
have to carry the fire.
I don't
know how to.”
Yes, you
do.”
Is the
fire real? The fire?”
Yes it
is.”
Where is
it? I don't know where it is.”
Yes, you
do. It's inside you. It always was there. I can see it.”
Cormac
McCarthy (father and son, The Road)
We have a ritual at
Pilgrim Church. When the worship service is ended, the benediction
spoken, the acolyte lights the taper on the candle-snuffer before
putting out the flames on the altar, and then carries the burning
taper out of the sanctuary. It signifies carrying the Christ-light
into the world. We carry the fire, just as the father and son did in
McCarthy's book, The Road. I went to Lessons and Carols at the
Baptist Church of the Covenant on Christmas Eve. To me, the most
impressive part of the service was when the children collected a
dozen or so large gift bags from under the Christmas tree in the sanctuary and carried
them outside to hang on the “Take What You Need” wall in front of
the church. Anyone with need could take a bag. That's carrying the
fire.
No one really wants
responsibility for being the fire-bearer—certainly, the son in The
Road, didn't want it, and he symbolizes all of us. The Good Guys
always get burned, but they still have to summon up the courage not
only to carry the flame, but to fan the fire of goodness and decency
that allows all people to thrive. We like to see ourselves as good
guys, but living it is something else all together. At least, that
applies to me.
Most of us were raised by
good people—not perfect people, but folks who knew the difference
between right and wrong. They did their best to instill that
understanding in us, and they lived by it for the most part. It had
nothing to do with a particular religion or ideology. It had to do
with an internal moral compass. It had to do with wanting to be able
to look at oneself in the mirror without shame. They carried the
fire, and they passed it on to us.
And, now it's our turn.
Now that the holidays are over, the work begins. It isn't someone
else's work, it is ours. We know where the fire is—inside of
us—it's always been there. I can see it in you, and you can see it
in me. Let's help each other carry the flame.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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