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On Tuesday this week I wrote about a Hymn by Anna Warner. Today I will write about a Hymn her sister Susan composed in 1868, “Jesus bids us shine”. The third verse is:

Jesus bids us shine,/Then, for all around

Many kinds of darkness/ In the world abound—

Sin and want and sorrow;/ So we must shine—

You in your small corner,/ And I in mine.

The American Civil War had just ended and there was anxiety about the future across the Nation. Sin, want, and sorrow abounded in the world. In her poem Susan encouraged the followers of Jesus to trim their candle wick and shine with the light of Christ wherever they might be. I think that this is what you and I are seeking to do in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic as we follow the Health Guidelines and use technology to reach to our family and neighbours.

May our prayers of faith shine for all around, and as we sing our favourite hymns silently or aloud may we feel the calm reassurance of the ever present God of love.  

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:16; John 1:5, Psalm 134