Rev.
Debra Cato
Matthew
5:13-20
Church
of the Indian Fellowship
February
5, 2017
Salt and Light
Jesus
is still up on the mountain where he can look over the large crowd of people gathered
to listen to him teach. Ordinary
people. People like you and me. People who are struggling. Who need to hear some good news. People that have heard rumors about this ordinary man with extraordinary
charisma. This man who cares about the
poor more than the powerful. This man who
teaches about this new kind of kingdom called the kingdom of heaven. This man who tells them that God loves them;
the forgotten, the oppressed, the unimportant.
This man who says they matter;
that they have purpose; that they are loved.
Jesus
has been teaching for some time now and yet the crowd remains captivated by his
words. Jesus has told them about this
upside-down kingdom where the poor in spirit; those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness; and those who are persecuted are blessed. Who knows if they really understand, yet they
stay and they listen. Jesus teaches them
about this call to discipleship. He
teaches them about following him.
And
now, they learn that if they decide to follow Jesus, they have blessings and responsibilities. Jesus
uses two common images to describe who his followers are and what they must be
for the world. Salt and light.
“You
are the salt of the earth,” Jesus says.
You are the salt of the earth.
We
add salt to food to enhance the taste; to make it taste better. What are French fries without salt?!
When
Jesus says that his followers are the salt of the earth, he is saying that he
expects us to add good to life on earth; to make life better for others. Because we call ourselves followers of
Christ, we are the ones called to care for those who suffer; we are the ones
called to seek justice; to show mercy; to have integrity; to protect the vulnerable;
to be peacemakers; to protect the earth; to courageously stand for what is
right.
Light allows us to see things. Light provides the energy necessary for vegetation to grow; light provides solar power for electricity.
Followers of Jesus are like light when they engage others in the world; empowering diversity; nurturing a healthy ecofriendly world; restoring and repairing relationships; standing up for justice. Doing good works in the name of Jesus Christ.
Has
Pastor Irvin talked about the lectionary and what that is? Lectionary are prescribed scripture readings
that go in a 3-year cycle so that if you follow them, you would read/ preach
from the whole Bible in three years. Some
preachers/churches follow the lectionary and some do not.
It
always amazes me (I think it’s a Holy Spirit thing!) how well the lectionary
readings fit what is happening in the world.
Today, it seems that our world is very dark. Very broken.
People are fearful. Struggling to
find hope. Jesus says, “You are the
light of the world.” Is that what we
need to hear today, or what?!
Martin
Luther King, Jr. said that “Darkness
cannot drive out darkness. Only light
can drive out darkness.”
Now
you need to notice something here. Jesus
does not call us to be salt and light. He
does not say that we will become salt and light. Jesus says we already are!! “You ARE the salt of the earth,” he
says. “You ARE the light of the world!” Wow.
That’s pretty amazing. You and
me. Us imperfect, sinners! We are the salt of the earth and the light of
the world! We are the salt and light as
individual followers of Christ and as a gathered community of Christ followers;
as the Church.
Jesus lays out some radical ideas in his Sermon on
the Mount – the Kingdom of Heaven is
completely upside-down from the ways of the
world. The weak are strong; the poor are
rich. Defiantly loving in the face of
violent intolerance. Nurturing a heart
that does not hurt or forget the wounded.
Living in peace and justice with
one another. Seeing and noticing what
matters to God.
Nelson Mandela once quoted, "Our deepest fear is not that we are
inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.... We were
born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some
of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own
fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
You
ARE the light of the world. You ARE the
salt of the earth. I believe Jesus words
are meant for such a time as this. There
is so much darkness in our world today. How can we "be light" in such a dark, contentious
world?
Pastor
Irvin went to Standing Rock. He talked
to the protestors. He encouraged. He let them know that people support
them. He let me know that the majority
of us stand with them. Pastor Irvin let
his light shine in the midst of the darkness.
Veterans are at Standing Rock, letting their light shine in support of
the protestors. Water is more important
than greed. We will not stand for the
continued rape of the land.
Last
Saturday evening, at least two pastors from Tacoma headed to Sea-Tac Airport
after the executive order banning refugee travel to the United States was
signed. Wearing their clergy vestments,
they peacefully protested with thousands of others saying we will not stand for
exclusion. We welcome refugees, they
chanted. They let their light shine through
peaceful protest, even after they were pepper sprayed and attacked. The Gospel is clear about refugees and the
vulnerable.
A
Tacoma pastor along with many other clergy, laid down in the U.S. Senate this
week to protest the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. They did this because too many people from their
congregations would lose critical healthcare coverage. Their light shone as they were arrested for
standing up
for the right for healthcare for those who could not stand up for themselves.
So many more examples of the challenges to the Kingdom of Heaven. Racism,
poverty, immigration, education, labor….
And
Jesus says, “YOU are the salt of the earth.
YOU are the light of the world.”
Jesus encourages his followers to bring light to a dark and broken world. The light is the light of the gospel. This mission has been crucial – from the very beginning when Jesus first gave it to that crowd of people sitting around him listening to him teach. It has continued to be a critical message through every age of time – including today; to us sitting here in this sanctuary this morning. Where will you let your light shine? How will your light help drive out the darkness in the world?
Let
Us Pray:
God of Wisdom
and Compassion
You made us to be salt and light in a tasteless, shadowed world.
Guide us
in these troubled times.
Grant us courage, understanding and spiritual discernment so that others may
see your light through us, give you the glory, and be moved to serve
you.
Amen.