A Sea Of Lanterns

There we were with our lanterns.
Small, cardboard lanterns with intricate designs on the side.
Intricate designs to let the light through.
A small battery operated light was at the base of each lantern.

Night of 1,000 Lanterns was the name of the event.
I wanted to take my youngest daughter so she could practice her nighttime photography.
Even before we walked into the conservatory, she was taking pictures.
A row of red lanterns caught her eye, as she positioned herself to get the perfect angle.

We walked through the massive doors of the conservatory.
There it was before us.
An enormous plant the likes I had never seen before.
The 1,000 Bloom Mum.

My mind was unable to take in such beauty.
One plant that took over 17 months to grow and barely fit through the 12 foot doors.
One plant that was coached to grow and expand through a system of framing.
Framing that separated each bloom so you were able to study the uniqueness of each stem.

One exquisite plant.

We walked into the ballroom to pick up our lanterns.
Beautiful architecture surrounded us, quietly telling us the history of this place.
I could almost imagine the women in their ball gowns and the men in their tuxedos.
Almost.

We each took a lantern and proceeded to walk to another part of the conservatory.
There in the center of the room was a sea of paper lanterns.
Each aglow as they floated on the water.
We didn’t know what to look at next.
There was beauty at every turn.

An hour after we entered the Gardens, the presentation was to begin.
The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China.
A story of the flower was told through dance.
Dancers with drums and cymbals, as well as a Chinese dragon led the nighttime parade.

I looked out at the sea of people holding their lanterns.
It reminded me of the sea of lanterns I had just seen inside, floating on the water.
The natural amphitheater on the hillside was glowing with light.
I could not see any faces; only the light from the lanterns was visible.

My daughter and I watched the parade.
Fathers with their children on their shoulders, holding their lanterns high for all to see.
Older people with the string of the lantern around their neck.
Others, driving motorized scooters, had the lanterns on the handlebars.

The various ways people carried their lanterns matched the uniqueness of each person.
No two people carried their light in the same way.
Despite the differences, the little lanterns beautifully illuminated the Gardens.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

I imagined the Father looking down on all that He made.
I imagined Him seeing a Sea of Lanterns, illumined by the Light of His Spirit within us.
Each person delights Him as they carry His light differently.
We are little children carrying His light with such abandon; holding it high for all to see.

I was struck by the fact that even one small lantern pushed back the darkness.
As my daughter and I went down a large outdoor staircase, our lanterns lit the way.
Our two small lights, in the center of over 1,000 acres of gorgeous gardens, were enough.
Two small lanterns illuminated the path all the way down the staircase.

That’s what we are: lanterns.
Lanterns shining for Him.
A Sea of Lanterns for His Glory.

Unlike the Night of 1,000 Lanterns, God the Father sees every face that carries His Light.
Every Light-bearer has a name; He knows who belongs to Him.
There was another Hillside on which the Son of God died in our place.
As Jesus hung on that cross, darkness covered the whole land; the sun stopped shining.

Jesus, the Son of God died, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.
He sits at the right hand of the Father.
When we trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross, His Spirit indwells our hearts.
It is His Light we carry around inside us, not our own.

We are God’s Lanterns.
Intricately designed for His light to shine through.
Spectacular lanterns pushing back the darkness, one Light at a time.