It’s often said that everyone has a claim to fame. It may not be something grand or historic – just something people naturally associate with you. What’s yours?
I doubt Charles Higgins, then Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate, ever imagined his simple task of adjusting a clock would earn him a footnote in American history. Yet it did. After Congress established daylight saving time, Higgins opened the famous Ohio Clock in the U.S. Capitol and quietly moved its hour hand from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM on March 31, 1918, launching a new national ritual. Ever since, we’ve been springing forward and falling back each year – except in Arizona, Hawaii, and the Samoan Islands.
Some like to credit Benjamin Franklin with inventing daylight saving time, though that isn’t quite accurate. In a satirical essay, Franklin merely joked that people could save on candles by waking earlier – hardly a legislative proposal!
Congress eventually formalized the practice through the Standard Time Act of 1918, hoping to conserve energy during World War I. Farmers and agrarian workers weren’t thrilled with the change, but the twice-yearly ritual stuck.
Once again, Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 8. Following Mr. Higgins’ example, remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour.
It’s fitting that on this same Sunday, our Gospel reading tells of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman at a well – a conversation held in broad daylight. Her claim to fame is encountering the Messiah openly and honestly, in contrast to Nicodemus, who came to Jesus under the cover of night in last Sunday’s lesson.
So, what’s your claim to fame? Perhaps it’s your faithfulness in Christ. You can demonstrate it simply by not letting that lost hour of sleep keep you from worship at St. John’s this Sunday, March 8th, at 9:30 AM (DST). Please see the attached worship bulletin.
Blessings,
Pastor Marc
