Shining Lights

The ONE Campaign is becoming quite well known as an advocate for the poor and marginalized throughout the world, but particularly among the people of Africa. Initiated around the time of the 2005 G8 Summit, ONE's goal is simple: eradicate extreme poverty and its effects in our lifetime.

Having settled in for the long haul on making this goal a reality, ONE recently launched a new effort, ONE Vote '08, directed at engaging the American public, one by one, to include the world's poor in our decision making process as we elect a new president next year. ONE is asking us to put eliminating poverty, and its impact, on our agendas because in doing so we can change the world. We can contribute our voice to United States foreign policy, telling the presidential candidates that for them to be elected they must take seriously our desire to help our fellow human beings. We are being given an unprecedented avenue by which to make a difference here in our own country and to literally make the world a better place for people who at present have no hope. How often do you get the chance to embody life-changing, life-saving hope in your life?

Matthew's gospel tells us that Jesus spoke of what it means to embody God's Spirit so fully and deeply that we can indeed be this kind of hope to the world. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do we light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before all, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16)." Quite simple, isn't it? We are God's, and we light the world when we live our faith in the way we have been blessed to do so, sharing our gifts with everybody in the household of God. By doing so we point directly back to God as our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, the Source of all that we are.

But we are not called to hide our gifts away for safe keeping, or diminish them under the auspices of false modesty, fear or despair. We are not called to deny ourselves or pretend we are something other than we are. We are not called to cheat anybody else out of who or what they are, dimming their light in the process. And in the end, we are not called to pretend with ourselves or anybody else, that our actions do not reflect back on the God we serve. When we identify ourselves as people of faith, people pay attention, whether from curiosity, awe or confusion. People look to us to understand how what we believe shows up in our lives.

Our questions to ourselves must be about how we are being light in the world, and how we can reflect even more of God's light to the world. If we are serious about our faith, believing that God really does make a difference in the world, how can we be or do anything else? To do otherwise is to limit God, God's love, God's activity, by not opening our hearts, minds and spirits to more of who God can be in us, through us, and for us. Considering where our nation stands among others in the world today, we have our work cut out for us. But the world has always endured difficult times, some so much worse than our own. Conning ourselves into believing these are the worst of times only serves to disempower us, lessening the great light of grace and purpose we enjoy as God's people.

The ONE Campaign, whose membership is populated with many people of faith, including myself, is a way to remind ourselves that we each make a contribution when we make a choice to do so, rather than stay stuck. If we want to bury our heads in the sand or place a bushel basket over our heads, we can. But if we do, we are shutting ourselves off from the potential strength and beauty our collective light can bring to the world in all the good works that can point to our loving God whom we serve. Does it really make sense to do that?

Think about it.

Think about trying to stumble around your home when an electrical storm snatches your lights away, leaving you in utter darkness. Immediate fear melts away once you can grope your way to a candle and a match. Striking only once means striking away both fear and darkness, bringing back the light.

Think about it.

We are being given the opportunity to change the world for the better. Forever. Isn't that what Jesus did? Isn't that what God calls us to do? We are being given the opportunity to strike a match, strike out the fear and the darkness, and bring back the light that is God, and God in us.

Think about it.