Excerpt from Mark 4:21-25

"He 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.'"

Reflection by Quinn G. Caldwell

I was always faintly embarrassed by the singing of "This Little Light of Mine" by groups of adults.  It was just a little too silly for grownup church — plus somebody with terrible rhythm always starts clapping.

I was in seminary in Manhattan on September 11, 2001.  Before security downtown tightened up, a large group of us set out in clerical collars and dust masks to see if there was anything we could do to help.

After having jumped the hastily-erected barrier at 4th Street, we were eventually turned aside a little further south.  We wandered around through a no-man's-land of dust and blowing papers as the sun began to set and the streetlights failed to come on.

Not knowing what else to do, we circled up to sing.  Imagine my feelings when it became clear which totally lame song we were about to hurl in the face of tragedy.

What came out as we started singing, though, wasn't happy clappy, but slow, sad, determined.  And then a crowd began to gather around us, two or three people deep.  Most were weeping.  Many held glowing cell phones up in the dusk so the people on the other end could hear.  Apparently, we were singing something they needed to hear.

Even the lamest of lights shines bright when the sun goes out.  And I don't mind that song so much anymore.

Prayer

O Light that sets all lights aglow, thank you for shining brightest when all the other lights seem to go out.  Amen.

About the Author Quinn G. Caldwell, a United Church of Christ minister, is the co-author, with Curtis J. Preston, of the Unofficial Handbook of the United Church of Christ, published by The Pilgrim Press.

Bless by Quinn Caldwell—a collection of prayers for everyday occasions.