I read several days ago that there was some heavy rain along the way and so the torch was being transported by train to keep it out of weather. But for the most part, it travels in the care of individual runners. And for the most part, the runners who are carrying the flame were picked because they are normal average ordinary people.
Can you imagine what you would feel like if while carrying that flame for the short distance assigned to you, it went out? True, it is only a symbol. It would not be the end of the world. But it would be an embarrassing failure.
I was at a wedding a few weeks ago and someone had sabotaged the wick on the unity candle so that the Bride and groom had a hard time lighting the flame that was supposed to symbolize their oneness. True, that also was only a symbol. But it was embarrassing because everyone wondered what it might mean if that which symbolized happy unity in marriage wouldn't light. Did that mean the marriage wouldon't flame with the brightness of love and unity?
The love of God is symbolized throughout the Scriptures as a flame, and a shining light which believers are told to carry and be responsible for.
When Moses encountered God on the holy mountain it was in the fiery flames of a burning bush. Afterward, his face shone with such brilliant radiance that no one could look directly at him or they would be blinded by the holiness of God's glory shining through him. At Pentecost, the disciples were all in one place when the Spirit came upon them in the form of tongues of flame. Jesus said that believers are the light of the world.. And no one who has a light hides it under a bushel, instead they put it on a stand where it can shine and give light to those around in the same way a city on a hill lights the surrounding area and can be seen for miles. People need that light. People need to see the love of God shining through our lives and into theirs. People are looking for the radiance of God.s love in a world where there is drab plainness - even utter darkness all around. Oh yes, there are things and people in this world which seem to burn brightly for a little while, promising to bring happiness or joy or meaning to life, but their light all to quickly goes out. The first strong wind that blows, extinguishes it. Drugs, sex, money, power, partying...all sound so good. But they are like a flare or a fire that, unless tended will die out and stop shining. I had the chance to get reacquainted with two of my cousins recently. They attended the Memorial service of my father. One left his family, dropped out of college and went seeking the carefree life of a Colorado Ski bum. Now in his mid-40s, he is no longer in the physical shape he once was, the emptiness of partying and living a carefree life have caught up to him and he is now in the process of trying to live a fairly normal life in a long term relationship and with real work. All the glitter has faded and the plain realities of life face him just like they face you and me. Another cousin, rose to the top in the corporate world. As the vice president of a large international marketing company which handles such accounts as Pepsi etc., he has the chance to travel all over the world. Materially speaking he has all a person could want. He has done all a person might want to do. He has risen to a place of power and influence that many of us will never reach. But the brightness of those flames has been quenched and is dying and now he is wondering what makes a person happy and fulfilled because non of those things do. My friends it is the love of God through Jesus Christ which truly fulfills a persons life and makes one happy. That is a flame that will never go out. There is a brightness of light shining there that can never be extinguished. One author has said:
What do you have today? Do you have Christ? If so, you have a light which will burn brightly for all eternity for you are not the light of the world, Christ is the light of the world and you become the light if Christ is in you.
Lets look at Paul's letter to his young friend Timothy. Timothy was young and was faced with the challenging task of staying strong in the faith in the midst of overwhelming odds and incredible negative pressure. Not only were there heresies which threatened to undo the church, they threatened to undo even a young pastor.
It is no different today. It doesn't matter who you are or how old you are. It doesn't matter what your circumstances in life are. The light of God's love can continue to shine in and through your life like a blazing fire - not because of who you are but because of who God is.
Think with me for a moment about that light and where it comes from.
Paul tells Timothy that whenever he thinks of him, he thanks the God whom he serves for a friend like Timothy. For Paul knows that even as his forefathers served before him, now Timothy is serving after him and carrying on that flame; passing the torch to others.
Timothy was feeling alone and a little timid about the task before him, but Paul says you are not alone. Your faith didn't originate with you. Our forefathers served the same god. There is a legacy to which we are all indebted for their are long lists of others before us who have lived the life of faith and have served God and it is because of them that we now have faith.
You High Schoolers who have just returned from Young Life Camp, many of you made new commitments to follow and serve the Lord this past week. The reason you could receive that faith was because someone had passed it on to Melissa and Amy and Blake and Eddie before you. And someone had passed it on to them before that and on and on and on. And what happened this week in your life was a part of a long process and a long string of people who shared the faith before you.
In particular, Timothy was indebted to his mother and grandmother for the faith lives they lived and shared with him growing up.
He was also aware that this gift, this flame was given when Paul laid hands on him and ordained him to this ministry. I talked with some of our newly ordained officers last week and they shared what a strange and powerful sensation it was to have the elders lay hands on them and pray for them.
The gift of God shines in our hearts because of the influence of others who have cared enough to pass it down to us.
We used to sing a song at camp called PASS IT ON. In fact we still sing it around here from time to time. It says this:
If you have ever been in complete darkness, you know what a wonderful gift light can be. Darkness can be a terrifying thing. It keeps us from seeing where we are going. It hides dangerous things from our view. Those who would do evil things do so in darkness. Darkness is a symbol for life apart from God because God is light and in him there is no darkness. You see light removes the shadows. It lights the way. It removes the questions, the doubts and the uncertainties and it exposes the evil that lurks about and around us; thereby robbing it of its power over us.
We can hide so much of our secret lives in the darkness of secrecy or lies. But we can hide nothing from God whose light shines so brightly in our lives so as to expose every selfish act and evil or wrong deed. When that light shines into our life, it causes us to sweep the dust out of the corners. It makes us want to clean up our act and live a better life.
Even if no one else knows how you live your life or what you spend your time thinking about, God knows for God sees all things in the light of his holiness and nothing is hidden in darkness to God.
Just like the runners carrying the Olympic flame, we have been given a light to carry to the world. God wants us to keep that light shining brightly and when it seems to have burned down to smoldering embers, to fan it back to flame.
The CEV translates Paul's words to Timothy this way: Use the gift God has given you.
You see a light is made for shining. A fire is made to burn and give heat and light. God is such a God by nature but you can ignore that gift in your life and not use it. God's light can burn brightly through you in a number of different ways and a variety of gifts. Thankfully we re not all just the same. For some of you, the gifts God has given you are in the area of academics; for others athletics; some in helpful serving; others in inspiring leadership; yet others in meaningful work. But whatever your gifts are, God's light will not burn brightly unless you use them.
However, he made this comment to her: