It was a simple thing, but it really made a difference. First, some back story.
As a little boy, this guy in the church I grew up in really drove me crazy. First, I was supposed to keep quiet in worship at all times unless we were singing or reciting something. I mean, I’d even get frowned at by Mom if I even whispered something. But this guy, Coy Pool, would often say out loud, “Amen!” in the middle of the sermon! I thought to myself, “Mom, why didn’t you turn to give him a dirty look?! Huh?”
Then, there were the peppermints. Mr. Pool was always trying to give me a peppermint! I did not like peppermints back then. They burned my tongue. Plus, I was really shy, and I just didn’t want someone talking to me, trying to give me stuff.
But one morning at church, Mr. Pool offered me a butterscotch. Say what!? How did he find out that I loved butterscotch candies? A light broke through in that simple act. He had taken the time to find out that I liked butterscotch candies. Maybe Mr. Pool wasn’t as bad as I thought.
Each Sunday after that, Mr. Pool never failed to have a butterscotch to offer me. Slowly, his loud “Amens!” stopped annoying me, and he became a light to me. Don’t get me wrong, his portrayal of Psalty the singing songbook in a children’s play left me shaking my head (but that was more about the character than Mr. Pool), but Coy became a ray of light in my life of faith.
Each year, Coy was the lay delegate to Annual Conference. I had a sense even then at how boring those meetings can be at times, so I was amazed he would put himself through that year after year. When they were building the new church building, some stained glass experts said it would be impossible to move the stained glass windows from the old church and put them in the new. Coy and our pastor, Millard Fairchild, put their heads together and devised a way, moving them intact to the new building. Coy always sang in the choir and was always there to lend a helping hand. I grew to look forward to seeing him every Sunday, and it wasn’t because of the candy he so freely gave away but because of the light he shined.
When I went off to college, I always tried to find a way to stop by and say, “Hi!” to Coy and his wife, Wyline, anytime I was back home. I’d always bring him a pack of peppermints, because I had learned they were his favorites.
The last time I saw him before he passed he was home-bound. I remember going in that Saturday morning and sitting next to his bed. We had a nice visit, and as I got up to leave, he asked if I’d be going to church with Mom and Dad the next day. I assured him that I would. He asked if I’d be willing to take his offering and drop it in the plate for him.
At this time in my life, I was not a consistent giver to the church. I’d usually look in my wallet, and if I had a $20 bill and a $1 bill, that $1 bill went in the plate. If I only had a $20, there might be nothing going in the plate. And if I didn’t go to church, I gave nothing. So, when I saw this faithful light who I knew was on a fixed income faithfully continuing to give to the church even when I knew he had not been able to attend in person in months, I began to rethink how I was called to support the church.
As we approach All Saints Sunday, I always think of Coy and Wyline on that day and the light they shined in my life. I’m reminded that it would have been much easier for Coy to only focus on the kids who would take the peppermints, but he wanted to develop a relationship with all of us – to make us all feel welcome. Giving a piece of candy is obviously a very small gesture, but it was just enough light of God’s love to make what has become a huge difference in my life of faith. So, it’s a great reminder to all of us that the little things in life and faith matter – a lot!
Recently it came to me that often when we think of “changing the world,” we think too big. We assume unless we can fix every problem in the world, we can’t “change the world.” But even the tiniest of changes create change in the world. Coy Pool changed the world when he changed my world.
Who in your life changed the world when they changed your world? Maybe you can bring a picture of the person who shined light into your life and place it on the window sill of the Sanctuary on Sunday.
What small gestures of light and love is God inviting you share? Who will someday remember the light you shined?
