This little light of mine

One of my favorite gospels is the Secret Gospel of Thomas (the doubter). Unsurprisingly, it's not part of the canon, probably because it is very cryptic, doesn't have a nice narrative, lacks miracles, and presents a Jesus that is confrontational and challenging. It's a nice change of pace, in my opinion.

Anyway, there's a verse in the gospel that came to mind tonight as I was listening to Bill Ayers at a panel discussion at Northwestern. The scripture goes like this:

Jesus said, "What you will hear in your ear, in the other ear proclaim from your rooftops.

After all, no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, nor does one put it in a hidden place. Rather, one puts it on a lampstand so that all who come and go will see its light."

As I read it, this verse is a call to action. It is Jesus's attempt to tell "those who have ears to hear and eyes to see" not just to listen to a message but to spread the word, not just to become aware of a situation but also to help others become aware. What has been whispered into our ears, we are to then whisper in the ears of others. But what is the news we are to spread? It's not just the "Good News," no no. This message from Jesus is a call to bear witness, to move into action and call others into action as well, both at the level of the spirit and of social justice.

During his talk this evening, Bill Ayers mentioned that even one candle in room challenges the darkness of the whole room. Once we have lit our candles and made that stand against the darkness, against apathy, against injustice, we seek out the other candles and grow in our light and in our challenge of darkness. We have a duty to ourselves and to one another, regardless of our beliefs or non-beliefs, not to become so accustomed to being in the dark and to capitulating to our anger and despair that we forget to challenge our darkness and the injustice around us.

And for those of us who take comfort in such things, we should remember that God does not create a light so that it can be hidden. Rather, God exists in the light. And this light stands as testament to hope and reconciliation. So take heart and remember that even one small candle can dispel the seemingly endless darkness around us. Even one flicker destroys the myth that darkness has overcome us.