Lighting Our Corner of the Sky

A Story for illUUminations, by The Reverend JoEllen Willis

Ed, barely an angel, had arrived in the land above the land called sky.

It was winter in the land of sky, which meant it was dark most of the time.  None of this blue sky stuff, not like in the movies.  Ed was assigned the piece of the sky way over yonder. 

It was kind of out of the way, but it was his, and the Spirit whose voice was the wind assured Ed that in his corner of the sky, he could be who he was, say what he thought, and believe as he must.

So Ed set out on a winter's journey.  Along the way, he passed through many other pieces of sky, each one as different as the clouds we see when we look up on a summer's day. yes"> 

He passed as well through the Promised Land where folks called themselves God's Chosen People.  These were people with a passion for justice and a great belief in the power of their God to lead them onward.  Here Ed learned the story of the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days when there was only oil for one.  Ed saw candles flickering in memory of miracles and in remembrance of bravery against great odds.  Here was the light of courage and of justice.

Sitting in the darkness of his own sky, he remembered all he had learned: about hope and faith, courage and justice, love and peace.  And he gazed over the horizon to see a soft glow.  Not the sun, he knew.  Ah, he remembered, in every part of the sky, the people had learned when the sun had retired for the season to kindle their own light and celebrate in their own way.

Ed sat on the horizon.  He was lonely in the dark and the cold.  But much as he had learned from his sky neighbors, he could not use their lights as his own.  Yet he felt it, right there, in his own heart.  It was a spark, a small light, perhaps, but his own light.  He had, sheltered in his heart, the Spirit whose voice was the wind, whose shape is a flame which lives in hearts.  Ed had a light to guide him and a flame to warm him, but how could he bring it out?  He stared across the universe.

His eyes came to rest upon the sliver of a crescent moon.  Standing on his tippy toes, flapping his wings ever so gently, Ed stretched, and leaned, and reached, reached out until...he grabbed hold of the moon and brought it into his corner of the sky.  He turned it on its side to make a glowing bowl.  No.  Not quite right.

Wait!  A small star lay just over--there.  Ed snagged it, and placed it under the bowl and--voila!--yes--that was it--a chalice to hold his light.