The origins of the song are indeed in the African-American Spiritual tradition, but what interested me was how it took on another life when it was adopted by the Civil Rights Movement. They often sang it as they prepared to go out and witness to the world.
This little light of mine, I’m goin’a let it shine!
The lyrics of the song are based on our text this morning, right from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus is saying to us,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid…so let your light so shine before others, that they will see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven”.
As most of you know, I was ordained last week. Wow! What a growing process it has been and this reading has escorted me all the way. You see, once upon a time, I was a little girl in a church that had no female presence. No female readers, no female altar servers. But I had a calling, I felt I belonged on the altar and serving God’s word. It has taken me almost 50 years to get to this point, but I stand here today, able to proclaim the Gospel and to preach. I had a wee candle and I let it shine, and the most I let it out, the brighter it got. The brighter it got, the better I and others could see…
So here we are reading about Jesus and his plan to change the world by radical love. Just look at the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus explains a whole new world order. “Blessed are the humble, the merciful, the peacemakers”. Jesus has asked us, to look at life and at society in a completely different way, and what do we say when we need to do this “I’ll take a second look”, “I need to put some light on this issue”. The New Testament is no different. It uses light as a metaphor for Jesus, (Light of the world in the Gospel of John)
And then Jesus says, “ YOU are the light of the world…Let YOUR light shine before others, that they may see your good works.”
Wow! One minute we are calling Jesus the Light and the next he is calling us the Light. Maybe what he is saying is, if you call yourself a follower of me – then your vocation is no different than mine. I was the light of the world, now YOU are the light of the world. Through my life, my works and love, I brought people back to God. Now, you are to do the same.
This little light of mine, I’m goin’a let it shine!
There is another old hymn I found, (I’m always looking for hymns about seafarers) and this one you may know too – Let the Lower Lights Be Burning”
The refrain goes like this:
Let the lower lights be burning! Send a gleam across the wave! Some poor fainting struggling seaman, You may rescue, you may save.
This hymn was written by Philip Bliss over a century ago. He was an itinerant musician. For awhile he lived in Chicago and he went to hear the great evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. In his sermon, Moody talked about a ship that was trying to find Cleveland harbour in the midst of storm, in the darkness of night.
The Captain could see the lighthouse, so he drew near and shouted to the light housekeeper, “Is this Cleveland?” The Lighthouse keeper shouted back, “Quite true, sir”. The Captain asked, “Where are the lower lights?” The lighthouse keeper said, “They have gone out. Can you make the harbour?” The Captain replied, “We must, or we will perish!”
With that he sailed his ship into the harbour, passed the lighthouse, missed the channel and was dashed against the rocks. It was a terrible tragedy. Many people were killed.
Until I heard the story, I had no idea what the “lower lights” referred to. I thought it was a strange phrase but the lower lights are the lights away from the lighthouse that illumine the water line. They enable the ships to come into the harbour at night through the narrow channel of the harbours mouth.1
I talk about this hymn because I think it comes close to what Jesus is talking about. “Let your light shine”. He is talking about the redemptive power of human deeds. He is talking about the redemptive power of love and compassion, and kindness and concern for other people. You might not think you have much to offer, that your light doesn’t shine very bright compared to the luminaries of our time. But, in the darkness of someone’s life, that smallest light can save.
People in darkness know this. The know the redemptive power of small deeds. Mired in the darkness of sorrow depression, nobody seems to care. They are isolated in grief. Then the phone rings, or the mail comes, or there is a visit. It is such a simple thing to the person who gives it. But not to them. They will never forget it. It is the light coming into the darkness.
There is something else here in the text to make note of. Jesus says, “a city set on a hill cannot be hid”. Every time I read this, I think of our church. Not just because here we are up the hill. We have a terrific location here in Corktown, and as the real estate people say, it’s all about location, location, location.
But I don’t think that’s what Jesus was talking about. I think he is talking about our community here. The church we make, we are. He encourages us to bloom and shine, but shining is outreach and I think Jesus is challenging us to do outreach. It’s about when a person in darkness summons up the strength to come to church. Light. They come here looking for light. When your world is dark, you look for light.
We greet any new people or returning people with open arms, cups of warm tea or coffee and a great welcome, but I believe Jesus is challenging us, not to hide our light under a bushel. I believe Jesus wants us to step out of our safe small corner here in Corktown and be like rays of light – stretching out father into the community. Touching people who don’t necessarily come to church but need church.
We are each a flame, that lights up the darkness, but together we make a great light that lights up the sky and all can see. I believe that Jesus, of Radical Love, Jesus the Changemaker, is challenging us to reach out. There are all different ways to reach out. There is a new committee to work with an immigrant Karen family, the pastoral care team needs friendly visitors and people who will call those homebound, isolated and alone. Can’t call – but can you write and mail a card to a few people now and again. Our Parish Visioning Process showed we are concerned with the apartment dwellers that surround our church. So many are isolated, marginalized seniors. Perhaps you would like to work on that initiative. Maybe you want to tutor children or adults. Volunteer at the hospital. Maybe drop off a couple of cookies to a neighbour.
It is really about offering yourself. That’s what I did. Little by little, I grew braver and the more I let my little light shine, the more I wanted to shine brighter.
I hope you get this song stuck in your head, and take it home with you.
This little light of mine, I’m going let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m going let it shine
This little light of mine, I’m going let it shine
Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.
Amen.
1 Story by Mark Trotter
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