Thought for the Day BBC Radio 4

TFTD - Copyright BBC
Saturday 5th April
Rob Marshall
Good morning
The Olympic torch arrives in London later tonight. It is on a global journey lasting four months with Beijing as the final destination in August.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of London tomorrow – just to witness this light. There is something obviously powerful about an eternal flame promising hope and bringing people together. It symbolises timelessness, confidence and all that is good about the human condition.

The paradox, however, of any torch, light or flame is that it always invades or needs to shine through a certain amount of darkness. And the darkness of current events in Tibet means that this light has needed extra security and more police in several countries to protect it along the way as protests are heard out of the darkness.

Many times, when I’m preparing a sermon or a talk, at anything from a wedding to a funeral the stark, simple spiritual contrast between light and darkness is always a powerful symbol. It is there in creation, prominent in the Psalms and Wisdom Literature and is a solid New Testament theme. The Anglican Prayer book talks of the armour of light which casts away the works of darkness.

People see the difference between darkness and light in their relationships, in their moods and reflections – at work and certainly at tough times when facing sickness or uncertainty.

So Jesus knew what he was doing when he said that as the light of the world he was offering people a choice between love/hate, joy/sadness – but most of all he urged people to have enough faith to believe that the light would always overcome the darkness in the end.

That’s why we light so many candles in churches; because we believe that life has more than one dimension to it.

I’m inspired to see that so many people around the world have already stopped, paused, applauded in response to a simple Olympic flame. For the light gives them hope, even as they protest about the darkness.

Held aloft, people will cast a glance at the Olympic flame in London tomorrow. As Jacques Rogge, the IOC president said when the Olympic flame was lit, it has the force to unite humanity and stand for harmony; And I agree. It speaks of something quite different, and raises us out of the darkness.