Last Saturday, there was a peaceful demonstration for civil rights for immigrants in my suburb. I thought about going. But it was chilly out, I had laundry to do, and besides, there’d be hundreds of other people there. What difference could one more make, anyway? I stayed home and clicked “Like” on the Facebook pages of friends who did take part.
Then on Sunday, a visiting preacher was expanding on the gospel reading, Matthew 5:16, where Jesus says, “let your light shine before others.”
The pastor talked about the Children’s Crusade of 1963, during the struggle for civil rights in Birmingham, Alabama. Thousands of African American schoolchildren marched in peaceful protest and at least a thousand were arrested and jailed.
One of the songs the schoolchildren of Birmingham sang as they marched was “This Little Light of Mine,” our preacher concluded.
Those kids let their light shine, and I’d left mine under a laundry basket. Next time, I’ll take my light out from under that basket and let it shine.
This message was excerpted from “Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine” by Audrey Novak Riley from the February 9, 2017, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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