You are salt and light!
Epiphany 5, Year A
Jesus has high expectations. In addition to studying the Bible, attending worship, confessing and making amends for sins, sharing the good news, engaging in acts of justice, healing spiritual and physical ills, and welcoming sinners and outcasts we are expected to motivate others to know and love God by our ordinary activities. Jesus said,
…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your works and give glory to God who they cannot see. Matthew 5:16
Jesus expects us to be salt that does loose taste and light that dispels darkness.
He said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and light generate benefits for others. A small amount of salt brings out the flavor of food. In large quantities, salt preserves food and, thanks be to God in this cold winter, melts ice. Light makes it possible to see and navigate after sunset. Light from fire generates heat that warms dwellings and cooks food. Jesus expects to behave in ways that benefit others the same way salt and light do. Because the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus bless us we equip to bless others. Followers of Jesus are supposed to be walking and talking blessings who introduce God the people who see or hear about us.
Jesus’ expectations aren’t new. His heavenly Father had the same expectations of our ancestors in faith, the people of Israel. Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets. Matthew 5:17. The people of Israel were expected to live lives that aligned with their religious practices. Whenever their confession and profession of faith did not match their lived expressions, God let them know. Speaking through prophets, God chastised believers for not aligning beliefs with how they lived. God told Isaiah to
Shout out and not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion and their sins. Isaiah 58:1
The people of Israel engaged in the rituals of faith (private prayer, study, corporate worship, fasting, donating 10% of their income), but their daily lives were not testifying to God’s love, mercy, and justice. Speaking for God, Isaiah scolded the people
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers. You fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Isaiah 58:3b-5
God wants more from us than genuflects at the alter. God requires more than our recitation of prayers from the Book of Common Prayer and singing of hymns from the 1982 or Lift Every Voice and Sing hymnals. God expects us and expected the people of Israel to live lives that demonstrate what we believe. The lives we live, the work we do, the service we give must speak to who God is and what God does. God, speaking through Isaiah, declares
…the fast that I choose is this to let the oppressed go free; share bread with the hungry; cloth the naked; attend to the needs of family; and open your homes to the unhoused! Isaiah 58:6-7
God’s expectations, Jesus’ expectations are very high. What we confess with our lips we and what we profess in our ministries, must be demonstrated in ordinary actions and daily interactions. God promises that when faith practice and daily life align
…you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and I will say, “Here I am.” …your light shall rise in the darkness, …you’ll ‘find your backbone,’ and the world will look for believers to be … rebuilders of ancient ruins, preservers of disparate cultures, reconcilers of relationships, and restorers of homelands. Isaiah 58:9, 10b, 11, 12
How can we be salt and light? What does it take to be walking and talking blessings? First we need to accept worshiping and serving in the church are means to an end. These are not ends in themselves. Attending worship and serving on altar guild, vestry, coffee hour crew, or choir can and do teach us about God, deepen our trust in God, and renew our faith in God. They are not and never have been full expressions of faith. They are not and never will be a substitute for holy living. They never did and never will compensate for failures to demonstrate God’s love, mercy and justice. Second we must be humble and vigilant in searching for sin. Because God can see everything and everyone, we do need to keep track of sins and offenses committed by others. We need to identify, confess, and make amends for the things we have done and left undone. How we respond to loved ones and the strangers we encounter matters. Where and how we spend, save, and invest our money matters. How and who we compensate for work done in our houses, yards, place of work matters. Our sins cannot stop God from loving or forgiving us, but our sins can prevent us from accepting that we are loved and living as forgiven people of God.
Last week the prophet Micah reminded us that God expects us to do justice, show kindness, and walk humbly with God. Micah 6:8 This week the prophet Isaiah challenges us to free oppressed people; share our food with the hungry; give our garments to cloth the naked; spend time and resources to meet the needs of family; and open the doors of our homes to the unhoused. Are you doing what God expects? Do your faith practices align with your daily activities and interactions? There is a Gospel that is often sung at funerals.
May the work I've done speak for me! When I'm resting in my grave, There is nothing that can be said. May the work I've done speak for me!
May the life I live speak for me! When the best I try to live, My mistakes God will forgive. May the life I live speak for me!
May the service I give speak for me! When I've done the best I can, And my friends don't understand. May the service I've given speak for me!
All that I've done, The service I have given, And the life I have lived, May all seem small, But when I stand before my God, I want to hear my Savior say, "well done.” May the life I live speak for me.
