Where were you when the 2010 Olympic torch relay passed through your neighbourhood in the past week?

Maybe you were present at one of the community welcoming events, or on the roadside to watch the flame being carried past and applaud the runners; or perhaps you were elsewhere. For many it was just another day, but for some people it was a significant event.

The map of the relay across our Island, and all over Canada (see www.vancouver2010.com) resembles a connect-the-dots puzzle. Between now and Feb. 12, 2010 when the Olympic cauldron will be lit at BC Place Stadium, the flame will pass through hundreds of cities, towns and villages between the three coasts, illuminating in its path a large proportion of the population of Canada.

The image of a flame, a source of warmth and light, a symbol of hope and athletic intention, crisscrossing our land, is a rich metaphor for the path of the Light of Lights, the Flame of Flames, illuminating our lives.

In Psalm 36, the writer prays, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings … for with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”

Whether we are attentive to the presence of that Light, in community or in the quietness of our own contemplation; or perhaps oblivious to it; the reality is that the flame of God’s Spirit traverses the terrain of our daily lives, connecting the dots and passing through every phase, event and feeling that makes up our individual being.

Equating light and life in spiritual terms speaks to an awareness and acknowledgement of the Divine which brings a whole new understanding and experience of being alive.

Rev. Alan Naylor is at St. Mark’s

Anglican Church, Qualicum Beach