David Bahn – Reflections

Judge Benjamin Shropshire was a warden at St. Joames Episcopal Church in LaGrange, Texas. He died of yellow fever in 1867 and his widow later raised $800 to buy a building which the church used for a number of years. (This information is from a brochure of the church’s history.)

I am reminded of Revelation 14:13:

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

While the practice of placing names on windows or buildings seems mostly attached to large financial donations, the reality of the faithful and loving works of God’s people do “follow them.” They follow them because God does take note of them (cf. Acts 10:4-5; Matthew 25:34-36 to mention just two). They follow them because, also, God’s people for generations to come benefit by those good works.

Few of us will have windows dedicated to our honor. Fewer still will have our names in stained glass as part of the window. Some may even question the legitimacy or benefit of such a practice. But before we are too quick to dismiss this as an unwise or self-serving practice, perhaps we ought to draw a few other conclusions.

• The work of God and mission of God is carried out on this earth by real people. Some leave their mark in bold and noticeable ways. Such was the case of Mr. and Mrs. Shropshire. God bless them for it!
• There are people today who benefit greatly from the sacrifices and good works of others who have gone before us – without windows left behind or fame in the doing; God bless them for it!
• There will be people tomorrow (unless Jesus returns!) who will be blessed by the good works and faithful generosity of God’s people today. Perhaps you are one of those who is even now shaping the future by such acts.
• God sees and takes note of all those who show their love for him in simple acts loving-kindness. From sharing a drink of water to a visit to the sickbed, God notes these good deeds. In fact, while few windows are dedicated to drink-givers or prison-visitors, God’s words of blessing are recorded for all to hear, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry…” (Matthew 25:34-25).

Perhaps the biggest blessing that Mr. Shropshire gave is expressed by the faithful “regulars” who week after week come to worship, then go about their daily lives doing good, sharing love, honoring God, and believing the Good News of Jesus’ love for all.

Frankly, in this world, it seems we need both the heroic and the regular. God takes note of both Cornelius’ generosity and faithful prayer life (Acts 10) and the widow’s offering (Mark 12). Their works do follow them.