By Rev. Debra Jene Collum
Chatfield United Methodist
We had an unusual All Saints Sunday at Chatfield UMC on November 2. While we always celebrate the saints who have gone before us and who now surround us a great cloud of witnesses; this Sunday we also baptized a newly named saint of God. As we lit the candles of remembrance for the saints we were honoring who are no longer with us, we also lit a baptismal candle from the very same Christ Candle. As I light the candle, holding the little one in my arms, I speak the words of Jesus: “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven.” Speaking these words, holding a little tiny human being, I am always a little overwhelmed. This little one is named a child of God without one iota of understanding what it will be like to be a child of God. Yet, the words of Jesus are just as important to them as they are to any of us. Let your light shine. How can such a little one’s light shine? Because their very being glorifies God! Before we even know right from wrong, our being glorifies God! Isn’t that the most amazing thing? From birth to death we are all called saints of God. Who have within us Light of God with which we can bless the world. And out of this amazing gift of grace, as we grow and mature into all that we are created to be, we can chose to be those whose Light shines so brightly that others will say, “I think I just experienced God.”
I have been seeing that Light reflected in so many ways these weeks leading up to November 1. The county agencies who help to administer SNAP, WIC and MFIP benefits were poised to deal with a very dire situation. Because of the government shutdown, families they served with compassion and faithfulness were unsure of the status of their food benefits. So these Light bearing people, who serve as county employees in the agencies that serve the poor among us, moved into action. They helped the local food shelves and helping agencies be informed as best as they could so that we would know how best to help our neighbors. And they got the word out to you all. You all, who are Saintly neighbors who are able and ready to help when needed. Here at the Chatfield Community Food Shelf, which is housed in the church I serve, we have those whose Light shines for us on a monthly basis through donations of food and financial support. We are so thankful for those bright Lights who keep our selves filled on a regular basis. These last weeks, however, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a regular time for the food shelf or our neighbors. We need not have been concerned. Light started to show up even more brightly as food began pouring in. Every day another financial gift showed up in the mail. Food drives happened in banks, businesses, churches, neighborhoods. Our shelves were stocked ready to be the light others would need as November’s uncertainty loomed.
Oh sure there were those who wanted to dim the Lights. Who wanted to disparage those for whom SNAP, WIC and MFIP are a necessary part of their stability. Who wanted to challenge the need for emergency food aid provided by food shelves. But the Light of God’s Saints ignored those who tried to throw bushel baskets over their Lights. They just simply let their Light shine even more brightly and gave as they were able.
Let your Light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify God who is in heaven. Such a profound and necessary proclamation said over the head of newly baptized child of God and heard by all the saints of God who surround them. I have seen the Light of the Saints of God shining brightly in the midst of a very dark time. I am thankful to be a witness and even more thankful that I know that the little ones who have no idea what it means to be the Light will see their adults doing the work of God in the world. Their little Lights will shine when it is their time to do so because they have been surrounded by the Light of a great cloud of witnesses both living and gone before, the Saints of God, every single one of you.
Leave a Reply