Epiphany 5

 Epiphany 4, year A, 2026.

Several years ago I worked in hospital as a student chaplain.  Spending so much time in the hospital you get to meet a lot of people and generally not on their best days.  I spent most of my time in the geriatric wing and that meant being with a lot of people who had been in hospital for a while.   And some of them were none too happy about their length of stay either.

 One fellow had been there a long time.  He was blind, quite deaf, he was heavily tattoo’d and his language and attitude was definitely what I would call ‘salty’.  That man could paint the walls blue with his lingo.  Of course aimed at the staff this was positively abusive, but with the life he had lived his language shall we say was that of the sea and he was tired of being poked and prodded without notice.  After getting told off one too many times, I gave him a right telling off and we soon became, if not friends…well at least I was tolerated. 

This is always who I think of when someone is called ‘salty’.   I don’t think however, that this is what Jesus meant when he tells us to be ‘the salt of the earth’.  Nevertheless, we are called to be salty.    Salt has lost some of it’s value since Jesus’ time, but it’s purpose remains, in essence, the same.  Salt is used to change food.  Adding salt to water makes it boil faster.  Salt added to ice makes a colder slurry, and freezes ice cream faster.  Salt added to your dinner enhances flavours.  Lots of salt can preserve your foods.  Adding salt changes the nature of things.  “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste,  …it is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot”.  Salt without saltiness, is just sand.

 The same goes for a lamp, an unlit lamp is really quite useless…I mean you can still use it for a paperweight, but it’s not much good as a lamp. Lit however, or we would say turned on, a lamp is quite illuminating.  It allows you too see further and to see more.  Colours can be seen in all their vibrancy.  Things that were hidden are revealed and productivity can be resumed.  Light changes the world around it. You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.  You are the change God is acting upon the world.

 This is a big deal…and perhaps you that noticed these verses directly follow last weeks gospel of the Beatitudes and so the people Jesus is speaking to is that same crowd.  Jesus is speaking to the vulnerable, the outcast and the dismissed as well as all those who have cared for them and brought them to Jesus; and just as he tells them you are blessed, Jesus continues to tell them you are salt and light to this broken world.

It is interesting to imagine Jesus speaking to this crowd and to imagine Jesus speaking to us today.  Many of us, indeed many Christians have grown up with the idea that to be Christian means to be humble, merciful, and accepting…which is good, but have interpreted that to mean that a good Christian, especially a good Christian woman is to be submissive, obedient…meek.  After all, as the good ol’ BCP tells us you are not worthy to gather up the crumbs under the table. 

And I would agree we are not worthy.  We are not, through our own merit, deserving of all that God has given us.  The value of our words and deeds are not equal to that of Christ’s sacrifice and there is nothing we have or could ever possess that could purchase our worthiness to be deserving of Christ’s gift, or of God’s love. This is something the wealthy often struggle with, but the sinners and those in need know well the worth of grace and blessings of receiving them. 

What Jesus is preaching, to those who will to hear, is that it is nothing you possess that makes your worth.  It is not what society thinks of you or how they treat you that matters.   Christianity is about not only what you believe, but how you respond to that belief.  We are salt…but salt unused is just sand.  We are light…but a light unlit or hidden is no light at all.  We need not be big and strong, rich and powerful, venerable and wise to be worthy…what we need to be is righteous. 

That is, doing our best to live our lives as God would have us live. Jesus says “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”   That means your relationship with God should be stronger than those who follow every single law and commandment.   Or one could say in our time, you should have a better relationship with God then any priest or bishop, nun or monk.  We tend to think of the Pharisees as negative examples of faith, and they were very good at living out the laws of Moses…obeying the commandments and being examples of religious life.

 However, Jesus wasn’t interested in the letter of the law, but fulfilling the spirit of the law.  All the laws, rules and commands given throughout the bible are meant as signposts, guides to help us grow closer to God.  That is what Jesus is telling the crowds, that is doesn’t matter what the world thinks of you …your job as a person of faith is to know God and be as God would have you be.

 Blessed. Salty and full light.  To live as God would have you live…not to be passively worthy, but to be actively participating to the best of your abilities, whatever those may be.

Salt and light, not any good until they are in use!

And we know how to be of use, Micah told us that last week.  Do Justice, love kindness, walk with God.  Be the salt and light that has a positive effect on the world and the people in it. 

Go out of your way to not only follow the rules and laws of faith; being humble, merciful, and kind, but do so in ways that make positive change.  The law is not meant to be followed, but exceeded.  Jesus is not saying anything new, Jesus is show that can be done!  It wasn’t just Jesus who said to love your neighbour, it wasn’t just Micah; God has always called on the people to be salt and light in the world.

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice,  to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”

            You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.  You are blessed in your faith. You are to be the fulfillment of the law, not simply slaves to it, but we are all called to live it out each and every day in every place and situation you find yourselves.

            People should be able to identify us as Christian right away, not because we are meek, humble, kind and gentle, but rather because we are righteous!  Because we do God’s work boldly and without apology.  We may not be worthy to gather the crumbs under the table, but we shouldn’t be under the table looking for crumbs anyway.  We are meant to be out in the world there inviting people to the feast and when possible bringing the feast to them.

Shout out; do not hold back!

                   Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to God.  This is what Jesus taught and preached, to the blind, the lame, the sick and the outcast.  This is what Jesus is preaching to us.  Not because we are the best, or the most worthy, the powerful or those who are wearing the habits of religion….but because we are followers of Christ.  Those who seek him out and hear his word.

                 Blessed are you who hear God’s word spoken and live God’s love in thought, word and deed.

You are the salt of the earth…so go!…be salty and by your light show the world who God really is!

amen