Following is my address last week at the Memorial Service held at Chartwell Long Term Care Facility in Parkhill, Ontario.  Due to COVID there had not been a memorial service for three years. 

The Gospel of John tells us that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.  We have gathered together today to remember those who we love whose life on this earth has run its course.  We have many to remember this day as it has been years since we were able to gather together in this way.  Each of those people were a light that shone in the darkness – like a candle burning bright.  Indeed, we all are people who reflect the light of God. 

As the hymn says, this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.  Sometimes that light shines bright and sometimes it is less bright but it continues to shine every day we are on this earth.  We have gathered here today to honour and remember those who we love and cherish, who are no longer with us on earth.  We can remember times when those loved ones shone brightly in your lives and how each or you brightened their lives. 

There is a movie which gives us what I believe is a perfect picture of how each of us can be a light for each other.  The movie is Young Tom Edison – it is an old movie from 1940 - some of you might be familiar with it in reruns.  It starred Mickey Rooney as the young Thomas Edison, the wonderful inventor.  Tom had an inventive and inquisitive mind and his mind would sometimes lead him into trouble in his youthful exuberance.  One day – or rather I should say, one night, it was his mother who was in trouble.  She required emergency surgery to save her life.  It would have to be done at home as in those says hospitals were not as available as they are today even in the post COVID era. 

There was only light provided by lanterns - this was before Tom invested the light bulb of course.  The doctor informed Tom’s father that this would not be sufficient light to perform the operation.  The family was devastated.  However, Tom – being the genius he was - found a solution.  He broke into the local hardware store and brought a large full length mirror home.  He set it up in the dining room and put all the lamps they had – which were quite a few that all homes had in those days - in front of the mirror.  The light from the lamps was magnified by the mirror and shone a spotlight on the dining room table. 

This allowed the doctor ample light to perform the operation right there in the dining room.  Tom’s mother’s life was saved and Tom was the hero of the hour. 

We each have the light of God shining within us as we have been created by God.  When we join with one or two or more people that light can become brighter.  When you visited our love ones in Chartwell, your light brightened the light of our loved ones even if it may not have shone as brightly as it once did.

We have the sure and certain hope that our loved ones are now in their heavenly home where their light is now joined with all those who have preceded us – with the heavenly choir - and become a light that is unimaginably bright than even the spot light that enabled the doctor to save the life of Tom’s mother.  That light was wonderfully bright – I can still see it in my minds’ eye.  The light in heaven which is the light of all the faithful departed shines in unimaginable glory.  Each of the loved ones we honour today have added their light to that heavenly light. 

When our life on this earth has run its course, our light will be added to their’s – to make the light shine even more brightly. Rest eternal grant them O God and let light perpetual shine upon them.