Mark 4:21 - 25, Pg. 38
Jesus said to them,
“Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
And he said to them,
“Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”
***
There is a picture I took at Vacation Bible School this week. One of the preschool classes has on their elephant masks and is lined up in two rows. It took forever, to get their masks on straight, then to form two lines, and have one row kneel, and stay kneeling, much less face the same direction. It reminded me of being a kid at soccer or t-ball team pictures in the hot Texas sun with the contrast of nicely brushed hair and a sport uniform. It always seemed to take forever, and by the time the photos was shot we were always a little sweaty our hair now stuck to our foreheads. So I can understand why when you scan the VBS picture left to right, and come to last on the bottom row, our Alex is making a face like the a giant lion mid roar. Its the perfect photo bomb. I laughed when I saw it and smiled and showed Sharon Defrees who did the same. We laughed in part, because it's Alex, typical fun and silly and downright lovable Alex, but its great, because it points is more. It points to a light we have in this church, a lamp that is lit. We go to a church where kids are allowed to be kids and adults take the time and energy to nurture them in unconditional love. We recognize that God created kids fun and silly and downright lovable, and if anything, we are to emulate them. This understanding is the measure we are given as a church and this past week even more was given us in the form of fifty kids, equally silly and smiley, and having fun. One mom, who attends the Catholic church but was helping lead a station at our VBS. She said that when they drove up to our church, her preschooler yelled from his back car seat, “This is the fun church!" The measure you give is the measure you get, and more will be given you. We have been given the Alexs and the Sharons, and because of it, we were also given the Catholic mom and her preschooler. At the end of a packed four days, after all the fifty kids stood on stage singing and dancing to the songs they learned that week, parents videoing and volunteers watching the culmination of fun, silly, and downright lovable, Annie remarked about the life that was alive in the church. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but let shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Two Saturdays ago, Open Door had their volunteer picnic at Geiser Gullman Park. For those volunteers who served hearty and filling breakfasts to middle schoolers each school day and interacted with the youth showing care and interest Larry Cassidy returned the favor with steaks for the volunteers. Mark and Betsy Ferns were there with their granddaughter Keegan and her friend; Larry had extended the invitation to the out of town girls and the group had welcomed them. As the volunteers sat down with their bounty, their light shining, a couple kids from the park looked on, hungry themselves. Its not quite clear how it happened, but soon the girls, had walked their steaks over, and given them to the hungry kids. The measure you give is the measure you get, and more will be given you. We are given the Larry Cassidys, the Ferns, various volunteers, and hungry middle schoolers. We were given more in Keegan and her friend, and the hungry kids at the park. It makes sense to me that in that community of Open Door volunteers who feed and care, their love was shown and received in the community of Baker City. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but a light - let shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Several family members of the nine who were killed at Charleston’s Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church measured their grief with grace for the murderer of their family members. “I forgive you,” the daughter of victim Ethel Lance, 70, said through tears to Roof. “You took something very precious from me and I will never talk to her again. I will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you and have mercy on your soul.” Daniel Simmons Sr. 74 said although my grandfather and the other victims died at the hands of hate, this is proof that everyone’s plea for your soul is proof that they lived and loved and their legacies will live and love. So hate wont win and I just want the court to make sure hate doesn’t win.” http://abcnews.go.com/US/dylann-roof-hears-victims-families-speak-1st-court/story?id=31896001 The families were given a measure of light and more was given them. It makes sense to me that the families of the people who met for that Bible Study, where welcome and grace was shown to Roof, displayed even more grace and unconditional love after the victims murder. It was the light not under a bushel basket, but a light - let shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Jesus said to the gathered, and says to us,
“Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
And he said to them, and to us
“Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given.
What is the light that is in you? From what does it seek to be hidden? Upon what does it shine? The world sparkles and is illuminated with more light. What is the light that is in you? Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Amen.
