Description
“Like a Candle” was written in 1996, initially as a memorial to Rachel Millen, and has since spread to be sung in all kinds of places, as a worship song, and at memorial services. It is even the school song at a particular College in Melbourne. Suitable for a range of reflective worship settings.
The lyrics came to Craig fairly quickly one afternoon about three month’s after Rachel’s funeral. He borrowed the “angel walking lightly” phrase from Rev John McRae who was writing about Rachel after her death. Fr Ed de La Torre from the Philippines, a priest who had spent time in prison for speaking out against injustice, said “Those who would be light must endure burning.”
Tim Beale wrote the melody, and the song was sung and recorded by the BFG’s in this original state for the “Belonging CD” for Uniting Education. However after submittiing it to the music group for the 1997 National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC), the convenor, Roger Imms (dec), made some changes, and the song was then published in its current form in the NCYC songbook. It has since been published in the All Together series and by Woodlake Books in Canada for Seasons of the Spirit. The music is also in Craig’s book Deeper Water.
