Candlemas, which we will keep on 1 February, is the popular name for the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. It brings to an end the forty days of the Christmas-Epiphany season and recalls the scene in the Temple where the Holy Family are greeted by Simeon.
The link with candles is provided by Simeon's words about Jesus being the "light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of his people, Israel" (Luke 2:32). One of the customs that sadly fell out of use at the Reformation was that people would bring candles to church to be blessed in the service that day.
Afterwards they would take them home and light them at times of particular need. This was a way of reminding them of the light of Christ and assuring them that he was present with them in their troubles. These customs are another illustration of the way the Gospel can communicate itself to us in ways that do not rely on words and intellectual explanations.
At this time of the year we are already noticing the daylight getting stronger and lasting longer, perhaps helping us to experience the impact of Luke's comment that rounds off the Presentation scene: "the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom and the favour of God was upon him". Although Christianity is obviously not a nature religion, nevertheless we recognise that the Psalmist got it right when he exclaimed "The heavens are telling the glory of God: and the firmament proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). That is to say, God reveals himself to us in natural phenomena, like the change of the seasons or light and darkness, as well as in our fellow men and women.
Candlemas marks one of the two turning points in our Church calendar. (The other one is All Saints.) We take one last fond look at the infant Jesus and then turn away, ready for the short journey to Lent. As we do so, we become aware again that discipleship has its hard, serious side and that trials lie ahead.
This year Lent begins on 25 February. As you will see elsewhere in this issue of the magazine, our Lent programme is taking shape. There will be opportunities for prayer, learning, worship and fellowship. I hope you will make these events a priority this Lent, particularly if you have not done this sort of thing before.
As with many other things in life, the more you put into Lent, the more you will get out of it - especially by the time Easter comes.
Peter