A Vessel of Light

Two years ago, my Relief Society Presidency requested that I create a program for a special evening for our sisters, based upon The Ten Virgins by Emily Freeman. After obtaining permission from the author, I created a short play about the parable of the ten virgins from the New Testament. This song, A Vessel of Light, became the centerpiece of the play.

The main image of the song is that we are vessels of the Spirit, and as we keep our lamps full of oil, we will be able to be constant, vessels of light through every dark moment we are asked to endure. At the heart of this image is the atonement, for as Christ suffered for our sins, infirmities, and dark moments in Gethsemane--Hebrew for the place of the olive press--he created a symbolic source of oil that is inexhaustible.

Diane has a written lovely melody to the lyrics: the song was awarded Special Recognition for the 2007 Relief Society Song Competition. It was performed at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square in February 2008. The song and play are both available for free use on our website. We hope that the song inspires you and your audience to become greater vessels of light.