Music Monday: "Miracle Hymn (The Christmas Candle)" theme by Susan Boyle
Wow, it's hard to believe it's almost the holiday season again; pretty soon, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving and then Christmas quickly following behind. I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem that we last celebrated with family and friends long ago.
On the other hand, Covid has made the days and weeks stretch out for us like miles before us -forcing us to face our anxieties and, in some cases, the realities of life and death head-on. In the beginning, I handled it well, insisting that I get the vaccine as soon as it became available and wear a mask whenever I needed to and stay home whenever I could.
But the more cases that were reported, the more my anxiety flared. Finally, it all came to a head when my aunt Cindy was diagnosed with Covid herself. Granted, this wasn't our family's first experience with it as my dad's sister and brother-in-law also had it and thankfully recovered.
It wouldn't surprise you one bit to hear I am struggling, would it? I certainly hope not because I am. And it's not just my aunt's death I'm struggling with either; it's my whole future. Lately, I've struggled to feel God's presence around me; it's like a dark cloud has consumed my days and nights.
And yet, there's still hope… There's always hope. We need to look around a little harder. That's why this week I have chosen to highlight Susan Boyle's "Miracle Hymn"; for those of you that are unfamiliar, this was the theme from the motion picture, The Christmas Candle, based on the best-selling book by Max Lucado. I will give you a short synopsis, but I will try not to spoil the ending for those who wish to watch the movie or read the book themselves.
The premise is this: A worn-out preacher comes to the town of Gladbury upon the request of a town Madam after hearing him speak many years ago. But time and difficulties have hardened his heart and a sense of purpose since then. So imagine his surprise when Rev. Richmond comes face to face with the town's Christmas tradition- an angel who comes once every 200 years and touches a candle; it is then the candle makers' responsibility to figure out who is most in need of the miracle.
The preacher is unsure of what to do with this information; so he sets about doing his best to encourage his parishioners to help one another and “be the miracle” rather than waiting for one to be given to them. It is during this time that we learned that we learn more about the reverend and what exactly caused him to lose his way along with His Hope.
Sadly, it is so easy to lose hope and be disheartened by the world around us. That’s why Christmas is so important; it reminds us that there’s always going out for hope…
The hope we have in the reality of Jesus’ life and resurrection.
I would encourage you to look around you; I’m sure Jesus is trying his best to reveal himself to you in ways you’ve never imagined.
You can find Susan Boyle’s “Miracle Hymn,” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKfMUNhbrk0
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