“...you in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud that led them in the way did not leave them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night that gave them light on the way by which they should go. “
(Nehemiah 9:19)
Travel Story (Part Two): Ascending to the Light
After a long and dramatic time of sitting in darkness, the ranger turned on the low-level lighting. The path reappeared. We all breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody expected a national park ranger to abandon us in the dark. Still, to be able to see again was a blessing. We finished up the rest of our guided tour, thanking the ranger for her efforts.
At this point, we had been underground for the better part of three hours. Knowing that the trail to the natural entrance was over a mile, we started our ascent up the steep, winding, and narrow trail.
The early explorers at Carlsbad made it down into the caverns through the same chambers that we passed through on our way up to the surface. Our ascent hike was along carefully maintained trails that were illuminated by low-level light sources. The original spelunkers' descent was through the dark using ropes and primitive lanterns. More than once, I thought about those courageous (crazy?) voyagers – what did they feel as they headed into the unknown?
On the path, you encounter "Iceberg Rock." This gigantic boulder, weighing 200,000 tons, fell from the cave ceiling thousands of years ago. The route circumnavigates the huge rock. Again, the size and scope of the chambers are grand. For most of the trail, the ceiling is stories above your head.
I mentioned the word 'steep.' After walking for a couple of hours exploring the various chambers at the 750 feet level, going on a guided and a ranger tour, my feet were getting tired. My whole body was starting to rebel. So we stopped frequently to take a drink of water from our many canteens.
We had been ascending the trail to the natural entrance for about an hour. Each turn revealed another incline or another boulder to go around. At a certain point, maybe a couple of hundred yards from the entrance, I noticed that there seemed to be more light ahead than behind us. It was at this point that I knew we were getting closer to the top. Soon we would be leaving the underground world behind. Soon the sun would once again bring warmth and light.
Although I anticipated coming to the entrance, I could not imagine the first sight of daylight. A blue-ish beam of line penetrated the large chamber ahead of us. For Star Wars fans, it looked like a giant lightsaber (Luke Skywalker's color) had cut a hole into the ceiling high above.
As we got closer to this opening, I was all the more intrigued by the apparent physical nature of the natural light. The light shone in the darkness, and the darkness could not overcome it (c.f. John 1: 5). It was inspiring to be able to see the power of the light. It was in a beam, and it was ahead of our tired hiking party. Although we were still in semi-darkness, we walked with renewed vigor in the direction of the light. We knew at that moment that we were close to seeing the light of day again. Light brings hope, and hope gives the strength to carry on.
PRAYER:
Light a candle (or the first candle on your Advent wreath), take a deep breath, and pray…
O Come Perpetual Light and shine on those who live in darkness. Gracious God you remain steadfast in your love throughout the ages. You guided our ancestors in the faith, the Jewish people, from slavery in Egypt to a promised land. Your light provided hope and showed the path of travel. Even in the unknown and uncharted wilderness, you remained present with your love and mercy. Guide and guard us in our wanderings. Shine your light upon our path that we might walk in your walks. Through the Resurrected Body of Christ, Amen.
Copyrighted 2019. Walt Lichtenberger. Permission granted to share with family and friends