Light of the World: Behind the Music
“Country Roads” - Bella French
At the HopeWords writer’s conference, we have a tradition of opening our time together with a reading of Travis Lowe’s essay entitled “Bluefield: Light of the World.” It’s a liturgy of sorts, a habitual invocation and annual reminder of who we are and where we are. Travis’s essay reflects on the history of Bluefield – the boom and bust of the coal industry and the narratives of shame that have been spoken over a region still living in the wake of resource extraction and economic marginalization. The words of this essay turn those shameful stories on their head, speaking instead of the beauty, grit, and resilience that is all around us even in seemingly forgotten places.
The HopeWords writer’s conference is an intentionally placed conference. It is a gathering oriented around that belief that a place like Bluefield is more than simply a recipient of charity or pity. At HopeWords, we believe that these mountains and their communities are rich enough to give – to offer hospitality, welcome, and warmth. Moreover, HopeWords is rooted in the trust that when visitors come to Bluefield, they can come not to extract or exploit (as so many people have come to Appalachia to do), but rather to receive what is being freely given: beauty, kindness, history, and wonder. In turn, they too can offer their own advocacy and engagement to the community of Bluefield
We ground ourselves in this radical mutuality and hope for the future. If we are indeed a placed conference, then we commit ourselves to remaining ever mindful that history unfolds in place, and we must allow the true story of a place (not fantasy or nostalgia) to teach us. This history of Bluefield reminds us that words can be a light in the darkness – whether that darkness be the black hole of a coal mine, the desperation of poverty and plunder, the pangs of loneliness, or the stinging grief of a widowed place. And when we light up the darkness with words of hope, believing that our stories are not doomed to the trajectory of boom and bust, our words become a beacon beyond ourselves, lighting the path for those around us.
If Travis’s essay is an invocation, it seemed appropriate to have a benediction, one that reminds us of these values we hold together as we depart. It is in this spirit that I wrote the song “Light of the World.” Drawing on Jesus’s words from Matthew 5:14 that tell us we are the “light of the world,” it is an admonition not to let anyone else tell your story. Rather, we are to let the light that has been given to us shine before all and walk in the true freedom that hope gives.
“Light of the World”
By Amanda Held Opelt & Common Hymnal
Commissioned by the Storytellers Collective and HopeWords Writer’s Conference
Verse1:
When the light seems lost, buried in the ground
And the widow’s cry is the only sound
When the pain of the past comes and makes its claim
There’s a brighter story, there’s a brand new name
Chorus:
You’re the light of the world, have no fear, feel no shame
There’s no darkness or dread that can dim your flame
There’s a longing for hope, and a hope in your words
So go forth, you’re the light of the world
Verse 2:
There is grace to receive and grace to give
Arms are open wide, we let each other in
And when Christ our King comes and makes us new
May our light be his welcome, may our hope be found true
Chorus
Verse 3:
So go light this town, let the joy roll in
All the pain rewritten by redemption’s pen
Take your light up that mountain, take it cross the sea
Just don’t hide what’s been given, you are sent and your are free
Amanda Held Opelt
Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter who lives in the mountains of North Carolina with her husband and two young daughters. She studied Liberal Arts at Bryan College and is pursuing a Masters in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University. She is the author of A Hole in the World, Holy Unhappiness, and the forthcoming Provisions. She’s spent 15 years serving in the non-profit and humanitarian aid sectors, and has written for Christianity Today, Premier Christianity, and 100 Days in Appalachia.
Bella French
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