1/21/2026
"And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His
disciples, 'Why does your Teacher eat with
tax collectors and sinners?'"
Matthew 9:11
In the movie, The Christmas Candle, the new pastor, David Richmond, arrives in the town of Gladbury, where he has accepted the position at the church at the request of one of the matriarchs of the township. He is progressive thinker, who had not been a pastor of a church since the death of his wife and daughter from tuberculosis. He once was known as "the miracle man," because he believed in God's healing power and ability to perform miracles. When his family became sick, he prayed and believed for miracles, but they died, so he lost faith and walked away from the church. When the movie begins, he is serving soup in the homeless area of London in the modern age of electricity. He is visited by a lady from Gladbury who had attended one of his miracle sermons long ago, and she asked him to come to the town to be the pastor of the struggling church. They needed hope. After much consideration, he decided that he was meant to answer the call and return to ministry; however, he was not aware of the traditions he would encounter when arriving in the historic village of Gladbury.
Legend had it that a man named Harrington, a candle maker, had moved to the village in 1890 during hard times, and seeing the disheartened people he felt sadness over the suffering and lack of hope of the people. All he could do was devote himself to making his candles and praying for the people of the town. He was most sincere in his desire to see the helplessness leave their hearts, but he felt that his prayers made little impact. But he was wrong. As advent began, he prayed, and that evening there was a visit from an angel who touched one of the candles and blessed it. The candle was to be given to the one who needed it the most with the instructions to "Light the candle and pray." The one who received the candle lit it on Christmas Eve and did in fact receive a miracle, and the fortune of the town changed because of the happiness of the miracle for this family. And so the tradition continued for the next 200 years as each 25 years, an angel would once more visit and touch one candle. Upon hearing this story, the young pastor did not believe it, and this is the story of his journey into finding his faith once more.
During his time of skepticism, as he was working his way into belief, he worked his own miracle that preceded the others, by asking the people to be a light to others who were in need. He felt that this was the way to experience miracles - by being the miracle or the answer to the prayers of others for help. Basically, isn't that what Jesus called us to be? A light or help to those in need? In the Sermon on the Mount mentioned in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us:
"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16).
This morning this story of the Christmas Candle came to mind as I was reading about Jesus' encounter with the Pharisees when they questioned Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners. As they followed Him around the towns while He was working miracles, healing the sick, I imagine that they wondered why He always seemed to single out those people who were poor, homeless, of ill repute, widows, people perhaps considered of lower stature, not men and women of prominence. After healing a paralytic, drawing the attention of many others, Jesus passed by the tax office where Matthew was working. Jesus calls his name, thereby getting his attention, and He asks Matthew to "Follow Me." Immediately Matthew obeys, forsaking all. Later when Jesus was eating at Matthew's house with the disciples and other guests, including other tax collectors, and other men and women of ill repute, the Pharisees saw Him and asked:
"'Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' When Jesus heard that, He said to them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.'" (Matthew 9:11-13)
In the story above, the candle maker was worried about having an heir to carry on the tradition of making the candles for the town that did not seem concerned about progressing to the 20th century and the use of electricity. The town wanted to condition the traditions of old, a fact discovered in a very sad way by the progressive young pastor. But, as often happens, when misfortune strikes, it opens a door for the true miracle to take place. Led by the new pastor the town discovers that they can be the answer to another person's prayers by simply being the light themselves. It's a wonderful story and a reminder that Jesus came to seek and save the lost, the helpless, the downtrodden in spirit and soul. He came as the Light to bring light and in so doing dispel the darkness of the age. Sin brings darkness and leads to death. Jesus came to set the captives free, deliver the sinner from the darkness of his sin sick soul, and shine the light of God's glory. We, who respond to His great gift by faith, calling on His Name in repentance, accepting salvation through His blood ransomed for our sin, walk in the light of His Presence and shine His light into the lives of others.
In His ministry Jesus was known as a friend of sinners, so this proved to be a great discouragement for the religious leaders, as they did not know the Holy God, and their religion was on a form of godliness, denying the power thereof. Had they known the true message of the Gospel, perhaps their opinions and values would change; however, they denied the very existence of Christ as Messiah, although they had searched for Him all their lives. People put their hope in wrong things, as the people of the town of Gladbury who did not realize that the true miracle lies from within. This is the message Jesus taught, the message we believe, and the example we follow. One person, one miracle, one candle in the darkness, one light at a time.
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