Sermon by Pastor MaAn
Matthew 5: 13-16 – Let Your Light Shine
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A clergy colleague tells the story of how a minister and his wife decided to invite the church council members and their spouses over at the parsonage for dinner. It was quite an undertaking. When it eventually came time to eat, everyone sat down. The pastor's wife asked her four year old daughter if she would like to say grace. The girl replied: “But, Mommy, I don’t know what to say!” Her Mother replied sweetly, "Just say what I say, honey." Everyone bowed their head and the little girl said, "O dear Lord, why am I having all these people for dinner?"
Most of us like to eat. Eating is one of our favorite past time. What usually makes food appetizing is the presence of salt. Salt brings out the flavor in food. Many of us love to have salt in our diet. But last Monday, the 31st of January, The Capital (A- section, page 2) carried an article titled, “Feds to Americans: Eat less salt.” Our love affair with salt is causing many of to us to suffer from diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, stroke and a host of other problems.
When Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” he was not encouraging his disciples then and his disciples now to consume more salt. He wants his disciples – us – to be salt.
In ancient times, salt was rare and precious; a very a valuable commodity. It was used for preservation, for purification and medicinal purposes (zB: to cleanse wounds). It also played a central role in the sacrificial practices of Israel, especially in the covenant of salt
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The covenant of salt:
"Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel to David forever,even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
– 2 Chronicles 13:5
In our own times, among our Polish American brothers and sisters, salt is given by parents to the bride and groom at a wedding along with the bread and wine to remind the couple that “their life may be difficult at times, and they must learn to cope with life's struggles.” In an Irish wedding salt is mixed by the groom and bride to symbolize their integrated lives. Salt has symbolic uses as well.
In the past few weeks, we’ve seen another way to use salt: to melt ice and snow. But what we today often associate salt with is seasoning. We add salt to flavor what would otherwise be an unpalatable dish.
I don’t know that Jesus cooked, but he used salt as a metaphor for lives spent to flavor the lives of others around us in addition to our own. Life is too difficult these days for us to spend them making others miserable. To be salt is to be a sign of hope, an encouragement to all that despite the hardships endured, life can and will be better. With the salt of hope, life will eventually regain its flavor.
Many of you know I do not cook fancy things. I only do survival cooking. In a cabinet at home, I have a container of salt that has been there for years. But even to this day, it is still salty. So, I found it intriguing that Jesus talked about salt losing its flavor and by metaphor he also used the same language to describe his followers. He said that disciples can lose their flavor, and when they do, like regular salt that has lost its flavor, they are worthless and fit to be thrown in the garbage. Sounds very harsh to me. But that is what happens when we fail to live up to our calling as Christians who bear witness to God in good times and bad, in season and out of season.
Then Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world.” – Matthew 5:14.
In his sermon based on this text, John Wesley made two remarks: (1) First, that Christianity is essentially a social religion; and that to turn it into a solitary religion is to destroy it; (2) Second, that to conceal this religion is impossible, as well as utterly contrary to the design of its Author (Sermon 24, Sermon on the Mount, Discourse 4).
In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Here in Matthew, he tells his disciples, that they are the light of the world, too. To be a Christian is to be a light to the world. Christianity, like light, is a religion that cannot be hidden. To do so, as John Wesley declared, is contrary to the design of its Author.
And so this morning God, through the sacred word, enjoins us to let our light shine through our good works. So that seeing the light through our good works, others may give glory to God. But we can only be light if we are connected to the source of our power, Jesus our Lord.
A few minutes ago, the choir sang the Afro-American spiritual “This Little Light of Mine,” a song that we will echo as we bring this worship service to a close. As we sing that little song, may we all remember that we give witness to God through actions, actions that make God’s light and our light as Jesus’ disciples shine in a world that lives in the darkness of poverty, violence and chaos.
“You are the light of the world,” Jesus said. Now, brothers and sisters, shine. Let your light shine...
Let Your Light Shine
(Unsearchable Riches)
Creep, creep, creep
In the dark it comes
To blow out all your lights
It doesn’t want you telling everybody that
Jesus rules alright.
Let your light shine, whoa
Let your light shine, whoa
Let your light shine,
And let Jesus shine through you.
Giant fears are really small
When all you see is God
Don’t be afraid to stand up tall, and
Give a great big shout!
Let your light shine, whoa
Let your light shine, whoa
Let your light shine,
And let Jesus shine through you.
Questions for reflection:
How have you been salt to those around you?
How have you been God’s light and a light for someone in darkness?
