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Today's Mental Image:
LIGHT A CANDLE
(for peace)
In Gaudette
copyright by Wayne M. Anson
"It is amazing," Katia's thoughts bubbled in joy, "how God, in his timing, uses man made customs and habits when choosing to speak to and lift his people. Rejoicing, her spirit sang like a kettle that could not stop!
"My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." Katia sighed, but it was more than a sigh of contentment. It was a deep song of rejoicing.
Indeed this third Sunday of Advent had become Gaudette—rejoicing.
Even the war could not stop this joy though it would be sandwiched on both sides by a day of deep darkness.
No one knew how it started, but a challenge to act washed through the town."Let’s have a peace rally tonight!"
"A what?"
"A peace rally! At 7:00 o'clock exactly, light a candle and everyone walk to Titova Square. It is time today for everyone, every side, to say what is crying in our hearts, ‘We want peace!'"
"But it will be dangerous. They will see the light and shoot us!. We cannot come."
"They cannot shoot us all. Even a mortar shell cannot kill us all. Light your candle at 7:00 exactly and come! As for me, if it my time to die, I will die happily marching for peace, not like a dog sneaking through the shadows only to be caught by a coward's bullet!"
All day the tide of determination rose. This night, this day, they would take back the night to create a moment of peace in the midst of war.
The rumors ran wild.
"Ten thousand people are coming." "The Muslims are coming." "The Serbians - the dogs - the Serbians are joining us!" " Croats are coming, every single one of them, even Grandmother Tiannna in he broken down wheel chair."
The black doctor from Ghana, who had stayed when all the other doctors fled for their lives, told Katia’s mother he would come.
"We are coming," said the Roma girl who had slipped through the streets to bring Katia a pink candle to light.
A Gaudette candle for this third Sunday of Advent! Katia was amazed. As she prepared her Advent candles for celebrating this third Sunday of Advent, she not only had enough stubs to light, but for the first time, instead of brown and black or yellow and green, she had the right color—pink.
Scrounging, she had found three pink stubs, all shades of pink. And now! A whole rose pink candle brought to her as a gift by the gypsy girl.
Quietly Katia lit the stubs that stood for the first two weeks of Advent. Each time she quoted a verse and said a special prayer. For the third candle, the Shepherds Candle, she quoted Isaiah 9:6-7, that wonderful" His Name Shall Be Called" passage.
Next she read two passages the worship leader handed out to help people prepare in advance for the afternoon prayer celebration: Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my Shepherd;" and John 10:11-16, which says, "The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Even in the dark days of war, especially during the dark days of war, these verses brought the ray of joy, rejoicing, that the pink Gaudette candle stood for.
At 7:00 exactly, Katia lit the pink "rejoicing" candle to carry to the Titova Square. She gave her mother one of the pink stubs, hoping the joy of Gaudette and the excitement of the peace walk would lift her heart too.
At exactly 7:00, Katia and her mother stepped out the door.
At exactly 7:00, the Roma girl and her whole clan stepped out the door.
At exactly 7:00, Grandmother Tianna stepped— well rolled her wheel chair—out the door.
At exactly 7:00, Senad, the Muslim Imam, and Latif, Katia’s Muslim friend, stepped out the door.
At exactly 7:00, Igor Davidovic, the Serbian grocer, and everyone in every house in every community, stepped out the door as points of light became lines, then trickles, then streams of bright white until Titova Square became a bright sun in a sea of darkness with so many people that all the streets leading to the square became rays shining out from the sun in a child’s picture.
Not one shot was fired from a gun.
Not one bullet whizzed by.
Not one mortar thundered.
As the lights gathered, Serbian soldiers, Croat soldiers, Muslim soldiers, fighting men of all kinds sneaked away into the dark.
Joining the stream of light, they each lit their own candles. Quietly, the soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with the people. Shoulder to shoulder with their enemies. Shoulder to shoulder to say, "We want Peace!"
It was Gaudette! And Katia rejoiced!
* * * *
scriptures referenced
Isaiah 9:6-7
Psalm 23:1
John 10:11
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