Light of Hope

February is all about igniting a spark! Aligned with Black History Month, I am reminded of the light referenced in my favorite blues hymn “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning.” The song has been attributed to Blind Willie Johnson, who recorded it in 1928. However, its origins date back to slavery, with the lyrics deriving from Mathew 25:1-13.

I love this song because I have vivid memories of a former choir director getting overly expressive to signal the crescendos and decrescendos laced throughout the hymn. Both arms would stretch to the ceiling to signal that we’re supposed to be loud. He’d almost reached the floor to signal when we needed to sing in a whisper. It was goofy looking and often made me laugh uncontrollably. To his credit, our musical dynamics were flawless.

Under the desk in my office, I keep a stack of greeting cards that I’ve collected over the years. I enjoy referring to them when I feel depleted or uninspired. I keep a card that reads, “keep your lamp burning.” The card is signed by the director of that choir. No doubt, he was referencing how ridiculous I thought he looked while we sang “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning.” I’d often burst out in laughter mid-song.

The light throughout the lyrics is meant to be a metaphor for hope. Keep your lamps burning means… never lose hope. The low volume of singing was not just a musical choice; it was reiterating the message of the song. Through the highs and lows, never lose hope. At the end of the day, embedded in all the biblical stories, underneath all the theology, and behind all the religious hoopla is simply this… hope. If we do not have hope, then life is without purpose.

Whether we are working in the fields on a plantation or serving time in a cell; whether we are hit with a devastating diagnosis or we can’t shake an addiction; weather we are an infant with life ahead of us or we are nearing death… we all have hope in common. Hope is an aspiration for a better tomorrow, even if not experienced in this lifetime. Hope is what humanity shares. God is hope, present in all people. God is calling us to keep our lamps lit. 

Trimmed and burning,

Pastor Lucas McSurley

Photo by Dan Meyers