The
Collect
St. Luke the
Evangelist
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LMIGHTY God, who didst
inspire thy servant Saint Luke the Physician, to set forth in the Gospel the
love and healing power of thy Son; Manifest in thy Church the like power and
love, to the healing of our bodies and our souls; through the same thy Son
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
12.And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I
saw seven golden candlesticks; 13. And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14 His head and his hairs were white like
wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as
if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16.And
he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp
twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17.And
when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me,
saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the
last: 18.I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am
alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 19.Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things
which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; 20.The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my
right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the
seven churches. (Rev
1:12-20)
The CANDLE in
Scripture always represents light. Not surprising is its use to describe the
Word of God as a Light unto our path, and a lamp unto our feet. God's Word
truly is a brilliant light. In fact, His only Begotten Son is the Light of the
World (John 8:12), and Christ calls us the Light of the World as well in
Matthew 5:14. How can we be the Light of the World when it is Christ who is
undeniably the Light of the World? Because our Light is not our own. It is the
REFLECTED Light of Christ in our lives. But all light comes down from the
Father of Lights above – even Jesus Christ! Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
To fully
comprehend how Jesus is like unto the Candlestick, we must first understand the
candles and from whence comes their light. In the most basic sense, all who are
the Children of Light are the recipients of that White Light of Christ - While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be
the children of light (John 12:36) Can we trust our Light? We
certainly can trust that Light if it comes from Christ! If it is an unnatural
or synthetic light of some diverse color other than pure white, it is the dark
light of the world. In a greater sense, the Church itself is the Keeper of the
Light to lighten a world of darkness.
In the Anglican
traditions, which is also in conformance with the reverence required before
God, we present our Gospel Candle (words of Christ) on the strong (or right)
side of the Lord's Table, and the Epistle Candle (writings of the Apostles) on
the left (or weak side). Both signify the bright Light of Truth being
propagated in our worship and work. Not very long ago, a fellow minister friend
(who is Baptist) accused me of making the candles a thing of idolatry. I simply
pointed out the counsel of Christ in Revelations 2:5: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
(Rev 2:5) I then smugly reminded my friend that the Anglican Orthodox Church
still has her Candlestick (which is Christ).
Christ it is who
is the Lamp-Lighter of our Candle. He is the support that holds our reflected
Light of the Lord in place: 12.And I turned to see the voice that spake
with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;13. And in the
midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a
garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
He moves among His people and Church to keep the Lights burning. If we
fall, it is because we have rejected the Candlestick and therefore have no
Light source.
The Seven
Churches of Revelations 1-3 are depicted as the seven Candlesticks. They
should, but do not always, reflect the Light of Christ. 20.The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my
right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the
seven churches. Shall we, in these dark and latter days, allow
our candles to go out? Shall we seek Him who has the Oil of the Spirit to keep
our fires burning? If so, the Light shall be seen from Lachish as of old.
The Candlestick
was a necessary part of the furniture of the Tabernacle of Israel. Like Christ
who received our stripes, the Candlestick of the Tabernacle was of pure gold
and beaten of one piece. Christ, too, is pure and of the greatest of worth. The
Candlestick of the Tabernacle had to be of one piece – so Christ is One with
the Father and the Holy Ghost – even of the SAME substance. Just as the bride
of Adam was taken from Adam's side, so the Church from the side of Christ: And
thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the
candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his
flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out
of the sides of it (Exodus 25:31-32) This Candlestick represented the
Old Testament Church just as the seven Candles of Revelations 1:20 symbolize
the Church of the New Testament. Let your
loins be girded about, and your lights burning (Luke 12:35) Do
all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless
and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and
perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world
(Philippians 2:14-15)
The Candlestick
of the Tabernacle was the only Light-Source of the Sanctuary. Christ is the
only Light Source for the Church. The seven candles represent the perfection
that is in Christ. The Candlestick had an upright beam to hold the Light of
Truth aloft. Christ is our Upright Beam and our Plumb-line in our midst.
The Candlestick
was adorned with many adornments. So the Church and her people are adorned with
many gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost. The Candles were dressed daily by
Aaron who also replenished the oils. We no longer have Aaron as our priest to
furnish fuel for our Lights, but an High Priest who is Jesus Christ. His Holy
Spirit is a constant and renewable source of blessing and strength.
The Candlestick
of the Tabernacle was equipped also with snuffers of pure gold. This may
symbolize the extinguishing power of the church to enforce discipline and, if
necessary, that by means of excommunication.
When men see you
approach, do they behold a light, or a dark shadow?
