Well, the 4th of July is over. Summer is in full flower. Kids know what August brings. School Days. The year is middle-aged. Next come the golden days.

Life felt smooth today. As the old guys said when I was a lad, ‘You live until you die.’ A good admonishment worthy of observing. We move through life asleep. As we avoid the real world, we seek happy pills. Others take a drink or more. Looking for happiness in a bottle or pill container is a depressing cycle leading to bad stomach and headaches.

A calm mind and a sense of place engender contentment. Honesty begins at home. We all are broken and cracked; that is how the light gets in, Leonard Cohen told us. We are light seekers. Darkness heightens the flickering light we see in others. As we stumble in the dark, we grab the wall and feel for the doorknob. When someone brings light to us, our lives are renewed. We feel the difference light makes when surrounded by menacing clouds. Many words are spoken, but words touched by God’s Spirit are special.

Think of the times that a friend or stranger said a few words to you and the clouds of depression and darkness rolled away. You felt there was no hope, no answers, no wisdom. Then God sent one of his broken humans with the light shining through, and you were rescued. At times we know the deeper answer to life’s persistent questions. Darkness enters our hearts, our minds become clouded, our sense of place has lost its compass. We watch for the light. Those who uplift with their words and smiles, deeds, and helping hands.

One candle in the darkness has a weak but comforting light. As the candle lights another candle and then more, soon the room has a warm and welcoming glow. When we do this while singing Silent Night at the conclusion of our Christmas Eve Service at church, I feel a deep understanding of the meaning of Christmas.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s with nonviolent protest and won a great victory. How about today, we, broken, cracked vessels of humanity, join to let the light of peace, acceptance,aand inclusion shed a warm glow over a world hovering in fear and darkness.