If you’ve ever been out at night in the depths of the countryside, you’ll know just how reassuring it is to catch a glimpse of a light in the distance. Tradition tells us that in the past, candles would burn in the windows of remote farmhouses and inns so that travellers making their way across unmarked tracks could be guided safely to their destinations. By following the light, they could find their way.

At Christmas, we celebrated the birth of Christ, the ‘light of the world,’ and many homes will have been filled with decorative lights glowing brightly. On a December visit to Iceland some years ago, I found that candle light was enormously important, both to celebrate the festive season, and also to bring cheer to those short winter days when the sun barely rose above the horizon. There were candles burning in shop doorways, on windowsills, and on hotel reception desks, and their flickering, yellow light always raised my spirits. It gave me a sense of light in the darkness and a sense of excitement and hope.

Although the Christmas decorations have been packed away for next year, there’s one last burst of light in our church celebrations before we turn towards the sober reflection of Lent. The feast of Candlemas (or the Presentation of Christ in the Temple) takes place on 2 February, which is 40 days after Christmas Day, and marks the moment when the Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph travelled to the Temple in Jerusalem with their baby son. There were rituals for Mary to undertake after childbirth, and thanks to give to God for the gift of a child.

Yet when the family entered the Temple, they were met by two people, Anna and Simeon, who recognised the infant Jesus as the hope of the future. Anna prophesied that the baby would be the ‘redemption’ of the world, and Simeon, in a prayer that we’ve come to know as the Nunc Dimittis, described him as ‘a light for revelation.’ The Church has taken that image of Christ as the world’s light, and commemorated that moment by lighting candles.

In some places, candles are blessed for future use in church or the home during the year ahead, and in many churches, services will take place in a blaze of candlelight. The light of Christ is demonstrated to us in a very literal, and a beautiful, way.
But of course there’s no point in clutching that light selfishly to ourselves and hiding it away. In the same way that candles were put in windows to illuminate the way, the Christ-light is meant to offer guidance to others, to cheer and encourage them, and bring them safely home. The light burns so brightly that it can be reflected in our lives too, making us fellow bearers of light and hope for the world.
 

Not many of us will be able to honestly think of our lives as unwavering beacons of light, but we can aim, with God’s help, to at least reflect a gentle glow. In the words of an old children’s hymn, we can try to be ‘like a little candle, burning in the night.’ There’s enough darkness in the world; let’s show some light.
 

Kindle, O Lord, in our hearts, we pray,
the flame of that love which never ceases,
that it may burn in us and give light to others.
May we shine for ever in your temple,
set on fire with that eternal light of yours
which puts to flight the darkness of this world; in the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
 

The Revd Amanda Bloor is Chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford.