Salt, Light, and Life [Epiphany 5A]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson
Matthew 5:13-20
Salt, Light, and Life
Have you heard about the salt
shortage? It's a real
thing. All over Northern Ohio
cities and towns are running out of rock salt. The Morton Salt people are freaking out; they
can't keep up with the demand. One
town in Northeast Ohio is using cinders on the road - "like they did 50
years ago."[1] In many other places, only major roads are
being salted. The snowfall this
winter has been overwhelming. And
there is just not enough salt.
This is a problem of course because
untreated roads are dangerous. It
is nice to be able to stop at intersections – rather than just sliding right
through them. The salt shortage is
a problem because our snowy world of commuters needs salt; just ask those poor
folks in Atlanta.
Salt is, of course,
versatile. It has many important
uses - not just to melt ice. We
use it to flavor and preserve food.
Apparently you can use it to clean surfaces and remove
stains. It is perfect on your
animal sacrifices; that's in the Old Testament, a little bit on every one; you
can look that up in Leviticus, if you like.
But perhaps, for us, it's most important function is keeping us alive.
We need salt for our
survival. Not in
smother-your-french-fries-in-salt amounts, but we do need salt. We need salt "because every single one
of our cells contains large amounts of salt."[2] Salt makes us go. Salt keeps us alive.
And so does light; light keeps us
alive. Now, it seems like there is a
light shortage every winter in Toledo – and in the rest of the state. But, of course, we're not running out of
light. The light is gradually
returning. Each new day lasts a little
bit longer. Each new night is a little
bit shorter.
Light is important to us for many
reasons. For example, seeing stuff –
that requires light. A light can be a
beacon or prevent an airplane from crashing into a building. But perhaps, for us, its most important
function is keeping us alive.
Without light, there would be no
us. “Sunlight is the fuel of life, it
provides the energy that maintains nearly every manifestation of life on
Earth.”[3] All of those living things to which our
survival is tied, animals and plants, also rely on the light of the sun. Light helps us see. It keeps us sane. But more than anything else, light keeps us
alive.
Salt and light are both essential
for life; we need them. And this is what
Jesus calls us to be; he calls his followers the salt of the earth and light of
the world.
To understand what Jesus is saying,
it might be helpful to picture a world without salt. And maybe the first thought is that food
would be very bland, the roads very icy.
But the bigger issue for us is that human bodies require salt to
function – and we cannot make the salt we need.
An earth without salt would be a very different place.
And what about a world without
light? Well, that would be very
difficult to picture – mostly because we would not be able to see it. But if we could, there would be no trees, no
plants. And without light, without
plants, without the oxygen plants make, there would be no animals and no
humans. Very likely without the light of
the sun, there would be no world to picture at all – at least no world remotely
resembling our own.
The salt of the earth, the light of
the world: it is an amazing calling.
Jesus actually trusts those of us who would be his followers, his
disciples, a somewhat raggedy bunch, with his own mission. In fact, Jesus thinks we are essential –
essential to this world and to its future.
Essential because you are the salt
of the earth. That is what Jesus
said. He did not say, “If you just do
this or that...” He did not say, “You
will be or can be or should be...” Jesus
said, “You are the salt of the earth.”
And then, though he was more poetic, he tells his followers to start
acting like it. Because the people of
this world need salt.
Essential because you are the light
of the world. That is what Jesus
said. He did not say, “If you just do
this or that...” He did not say, “You
will be or can be or should be...” Jesus
said, “You are the light of the world.”
And then, though he was more poetic, he told his followers to start
acting like it; let that light shine.
Because the people of this world need light.
Now, we can't make salt; and we
can't make light. Instead, we are made
salt; and we are made light. By
God. For a reason. For the sake of the world. This is who we are. Jesus says so.
But for Jesus, being salt and light
is not an end in itself; the identity comes with responsibility. What good is a light if it is hidden under a
basket?
The message with which we are
entrusted is too precious, too important to keep to ourselves. And so if there is a salt shortage in
Northern Ohio, it is only because we have forgotten that this Gospel is worth
sharing. There is too much darkness in the world, too many people living in the
shadows, to hide our light.
So we are salt; and we are
light. We are made to shine. It's is a flattering image. But, of course, Jesus is not being literal. So what does Jesus expect of us? What does it mean to be the salt of the
earth? What does it mean to be the light
of the world?
I think it goes beyond being nice;
Jesus wasn't always nice. And I think it
means more than being polite – another area of inconsistency for Jesus. I had a philosophy professor in college who
used to ask us: “Is it better to be nice or to be good?” We know the right answer to that question,
but it is still not an easy one to answer because sometimes nice and good clash
– and nice is more socially acceptable.
But the Gospel is more than
nice. It shakes things up and turns
stuff over. It is life-changing. And that is where we come in. We are called to proclaim by word and example
the Good News of God in Christ. It is
not enough to just be a light; Jesus wants that light to shine – to scatter
some darkness. The world needs more than
just another inspirational catch-phrase, more than just a pat on the back. The world needs the Gospel – the
life-changing Gospel of Jesus.
Jesus has passed on his torch to
us. We are now the light. We are the ones who are called to tell it and
live it. Jesus' words should be coming
out of our mouths. See, the world needs
to see and hear some Good News: That God so loves the world. That God still cares and heals and
forgives. The world needs to see and
hear that God is the hope of the hopeless, the strength of the powerless, and
the comfort of those who mourn. That
death is not the end and that God is making all things new.
Our message is Good News – not just
for us but for each and every person. It
has the power to change lives, to change the world.
And it is in you. Because you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. God has a dream for this world and your role in
making that dream a reality is essential.
Because you, me, us, we have been entrusted with the Gospel; Jesus has
passed us the torch. And so the work is
now ours: Be the light; let it shine.
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