Signed, sealed and delivered

from film Pay It Forward, courtessy of mission1226.wordpress.com

•      In the film based on the novel Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde, middle schooler Trevor McKinney becomes completely engaged in a project assigned by his social studies teacher Mr. Simonet, who tells his students to think of something creative that will change the world in a positive way. Trevor's project of paying a favor forward rather than backward for three people becomes a national movement, a kind of revolution that propels people into active motion, which generates profound change for the common good for thousands of people, like the effect of a stone thrown into a pond of water and watching the ripple effects.                                                                            The tragic outcome (no spoiler, you'll have to read the book or watch the film) does not snuff out the light that Trevor begins with an idea that he puts into action. Unknown to Trevor, his mother and his teacher, the light of healing, community and true charity grows like a sunrise lights the sky at the beginning of a new day, when the sky appears to be at its darkest point. One person, a young person who took his teacher's challenge to heart created change in the world. 

The Take Away: If we have been baptized as a Christian, a follower and a disciple of Jesus, we follow the Gospel beyond the significant signs of water, oil and prayers at our initial baptism and initiation into the Church - the people of God - to what we've all been called to be - the light of Christ for all people, to create positive change for the common good in the world."

Signed, sealed and delivered" may be the best acknowledgment for our mission in the world - to put on Christ, signed with the cross of Christ as baptized Christians, sealed with the grace that we need as baptized disciples that propels us into the real world of commitment and delivered to the community of the world for the common good of all people as the Light of Christ.                                             

Whatever, wherever and however we find ourselves engaged with the world, that's our mission. Be the Light, signed , sealed and delivered to be who we are in whatever way Christ calls upon us to be. Like young Trevor who took his teacher's assigment to heart, we're called upon as baptized Christians to do likewise - follow our teacher, take the Gospel to heart and create change in the world, one person at a time and bring them into the Light of Christ.                                                                                                     

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. IS 42:1-4, 6-7

Signed, sealed and delivered. That's us.