Rev. A. J. Ogden

As a very small boy, barely old enough to read, someone gave me a little child type book. The name of it was, “The Old Lamp Lighter.” Living in the dark woods as we did then, any kind of lighting fascinated me because we had no electricity at that time at home.

I read the little book over and over about that old New Orleans lamp lighter. The streets all has gas lights which had to be lit by hand at twilight time every evening. There was a faithful lamp lighter for every section of the city to go up and down their section of town lighting each light with his burning torch. What thrilled me most was the difference he made. There was to me a beautiful “Trail He Left Behind.” Everywhere he went he left illumination; a trail of burning lights to keep people from stumbling.

In my little mind I thought, now that man is really making a difference in this world and I want to be that way. After about the fourth time reading the book, I prayed a prayer that some would say is foolish; “Lord I want to be a lamp lighter!” as I look back on it now, I do not think it was a foolish prayer at all because spiritual lamp lighters are needed more than ever. Oh yes, we have bright electric street lights now but the darkness if sin abounds in every city.

Little did a small ignorant country boy like me know at that time, that the God of Heaven would save my soul and call me into the gospel ministry to preach and teach the unsearchable riches of God’s grace. There would be a day when He would say to me, “I’m going to make you a lamp lighter.” Jesus, the light of the world, would say to me through scripture in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen!