Proper 28 A + This little light + 11.19.23

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Judges 4:1–7; Ps. 123; 1 Thess. 5:1–11; St. Matthew 25:14–30)

 

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Hide it under a bushel, no! I’m going to let it shine.

“The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

So first off, talents. What were they? Huge amounts of money is the answer. A silver talent, I am told, could be worth today’s equivalent of 16,500 dollars, whereas a gold talent might be worth 1.4 million dollars in today’s money. Of course, equivalency with ancient currency is hard to do so another person has said that a talent was worth roughly 10 years’ wages. No wonder some are cautious, and some are bold, depending on what they felt comfortable with. They will be working a lot of years if they lose this money! And yet, we know it is not all about the money. It is also about whether we are bold in sharing the gifts that God has given us.

We are blessed as a congregation to have a few streams of support that help us keep staff and the doors open. One of these income streams is your generous support. We are so grateful for everyone who has pledged their support to All Saints/ Todos los Santos in the next year. You all are amazing! From long term givers to some of our newest folks who just jumped right in and started giving, we are truly blessed!
But you may not know that we also have a trust. It was established many years ago by parishioners who joined some funds and to it was added a fairly sizable bequest. From there it has grown and it is managed by a well-respected investment management firm. But our trustee mentioned that he doesn’t know if we all know how blessed we are. Because yes, we still rely on your pledges year to year to round out our budget. But we are not coming to you hat in hand every year to up your pledge in order to make the payroll, although some years we get close to that, because we have a backup and support in the trust. And this parishioner said that because of this, perhaps we can put the energy we would normally put into doing extensive fundraising into projects that help the wider community.
And I agree. As a church, we don’t just exist to support ourselves, but we are outwardly focused. We have a food pantry and Bread of Life Dinner, but we also support community projects such as the Foul Weather Shelter, Love Bags, the Homelessness Prevention Program, and the building of the new navigation center across the street, not just so we can feel good about ourselves. But also, because we know that we are blessed to be a blessing.

In the first reading today, we hear about Deborah, a Judge. I found it fascinating that, while the translation that we read says that she is the wife of Lappidoth, another understanding of the Hebrew here is translated as “a woman of torches, that is, a fiery, spirited woman. Since Barak, the general she summons, means lightning, the latter understanding seems more likely.”[1] How interesting that, in the midst of our ancient history, we learn that a woman, of fiery temperament, helped folks sort out their problems. She was called upon to judge and to help decide important things, like military movements. She was fierce! In the discussion about Deborah, some take umbrage with her seemingly violent tendencies, but all state that she is an intriguing figure, being a strong woman judge in a role that we traditionally associate with male leadership. As I read about her, I saw that another reader of that commentary had written “If the Lord want(s) to use her, He can!” Despite the male-centered language about God, I thought, “Yes! Right on!” If God wants to use us, they can and will.

So perhaps we can look back at the parable of the talents and imagine. We are not all given the same exact thing in life- be it money, academic gifts, street smarts, artistic talents, musical ability or any other gift. But the point is, whatever you have going on, you gotta share it! Whether we are fiery Deborah born in a different time and place but willing to stand under our palm and share our gifts unashamedly, or whether we are, well just about anyone else, we have a gift to share. God has given it to us. And while we do care about the money, the important thing is not the money, but how we live. Do we live in fear, hiding things away, worried we will lose them? Or do we live in hope, willing to take a risk for something great?
The world is scary right now, with the conflict in Israel and Palestine and the war still raging between Ukraine and Russia. Dr Lucy Jones pointed out in her sermon at convention last weekend that we are all a little bit in climate denial because otherwise we would be overwhelmed by the magnitude of what might be coming. But we can shine a light. Whether we have a flaming torch like Deborah or a little candle that we light, we will not hide our light under a bushel, but let it shine. And we will encourage others to do the same. Tomorrow is Trans Day of Remembrance. Every year I pray that more people, whether they are trans or otherwise different, would not have their light snuffed out but rather can let their light shine freely. When we celebrate each other’s light, we give each other permission to burn more brightly.
As a church, we have taken a step forward in the light this week by beginning our solar panel installation. Is it the only solution? No, but it is a start. I am proud to say that we not only wish to support the Homelessness Prevention Program as a church, but at least one family will also separately support a family or individual in need via that program. Is it a solution to the problem of homelessness? No, but it is a start! It is a light in the darkness.  I have signed a petition via the Episcopal Public Policy Network seeking a Ceasefire in Israel and Palestine and I shared that petition. We have prayed for peace together. Is that going to stop the conflict, the loss of life, the oppression and the fighting and lack of seeing each other’s humanity on both sides? I don’t know. But it’s a start. Our church continues to tell all people that they are welcome here. That doesn’t stop folks from hearing hate in other areas of their life, but they know they have a refuge here. A place of light in the darkness of the world.
Keep on lighting that flame. It may not solve everything, but it is what God has given you, and it is enough. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!
Amen.

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[1] Alice Ogden Bellis, Helpmates, Harlots and Heroes: Women’s Stories in the Hebrew Bible (Louisville: Westminister John Knox Press, 2007, 102.