We’re not a religious family, but we do like to slip into churches wherever we go to get away from the crowd and spend some time in quiet reflection.
We’ve been doing that for years at Hamburg’s St. Petri, a massive church in the centre of the old city’s shopping district.
Last night we left behind the throngs crammed into the nearby City Hall Christmas market to light a couple of candles at a simple yet stunning display.
The bare trunk of a small tree lies on its side supported only by its truncated branches. Set up about a month ago, it is groaning under the weight of the wax of thousands of candles now at least two feet thick.
On the wall at left it says:
This tree lies as if fallen over. Only its branches support it. It seems bare and injured. On its cuts the wood is red like a wound.
But it’s a tree of light, almost like a Christmas tree in all its glory. The candles lend beauty to it.
The candles on this tree are signs of memory, hope and lament.
What injuries and wounds in your life or in our society do you think of when you look at the tree?
Light a candle for them and place it on the trunk. The candles are a prayer for them.
Have your say. The comments box is always open.