the one about salt and light

 "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 hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, 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."Gospel of Matthew, ch. 5.

Last week, we heard part one of Jesus’recruitment and training sermon.  Who are the people that naturally connect with Jesus and his new social program?  He names them.  The spiritually poor.  The mourner.  The humble.  Those who hunger as thirst for what is right.  The merciful.  The pure in heart. The peacemaker.  Those who are persecuted, maligned, hated, oppressed, and verbally assaulted because they are seeking to live the right way. I invited you to think about your own identity in relation to these characteristics.  These are not weaknesses, but superpowers. And discovery of who you are in relation to Jesus’ mission is critical to discipleship.

This week Jesus calls his followers light and salt. Essential elements found on earth.  In the absence of artificial lighting as we know it, the rising and setting sun commanded great attention. Light was power.  Salt was preservation.  Without light and salt, they could not eat, they would not survive. Light fills and overcomes darkness.  Light is vision, warmth, and absolutely necessary for human interaction and community. In a dark world, light is everything.  And salt brings out flavor and more importantly, without refrigeration, preserves and keeps food safe for consumption. 

Light and salt were essential in that world.  Without them there is no life. Did the people who followed Jesus-- the poor, the lame, the blind, the prostitute, the sinner, those who suffered persecution, those who have been marginalized by society, ignored, despised-- did they think of themselves as essential or necessary?  More likely they believed themselves to be completely expendable, worthless, useless, unnecessary, disposable, without value or purpose…They had little hope for themselves.

So Jesus is injecting these people with a new confidence, an identity that had value and purpose in God’s Kingdom.  Those considered weak and vulnerable were being blessed.  Jesus empowers these people to reclaim their identity as children of light, children of God. 

But Jesus does not just say that the poor are blessed. This is not about self-esteem and building people up emotionally.  Mr. Rogers, he is not.  Jesus is recruiting, building a movement to take on the powers that threaten.  He expects these followers to live righteous lives, to obey the commandments, to teach others to do the same.  This is not "I’m okay, you’re okay". This is lifting people up and inspiring them to live a new life.  This is the beginning of sacred action that will make a spiritual truth a physical reality. Who we are, salt and light, defines what we do.  

We can name the ways that we have been broken, diminished, dehumanized, disrespected, and shamed.  We can see the effects of this systemic erosion of our power, a power that comes from God.  We know the messages we are told:  The rich and the powerful are the good guys and deserve all that they have made. They have earned their way to the top and "good for them".   They have no responsibility for anyone else.  We are responsible for ourselves.  So, if your life is a mess, it is all your fault.  Shame on you.  You who rely on government programs; your tax shelterd IRA, your medicare, your social security, your SNAP benefits, your LIHEAP energy assistance, your tax credits.  Shame on you for masking years of pain and abuse with substance abuse and addiction.  Shame on you for your mental illness, your physical disability, your homosexual orientation.  You are tolerated, but not acknowledged.  You are invisible to those with the power and the money.  Invisible.  They are not listening because they do not have to listen. Do you feel that?  It's called oppression.  And though most of us sitting here or reading this post are people of privilege, I suspect we are ingesting the same message.  We are not worthy.  Only the best of the best, the one's with the most toys, win.  We are nothing. We cannot change the way things are rigged in favor of some and against so many.  We don't like it.  But it is what it is.  How many times have I heard that bull shit line?  It is what it is. How many times have I said it to myself and others...?  That's the power of oppression, people.  And it is killing us.  Turning us into heartless spending machines addicted to stuff and afraid of people. We hide the light.  We lose our saltiness.     

UNLESS, we claim the honor that has been given us that cannot be taken from us.  We belong to King Jesus, who sees through the crap and loves us for who we are.  Loveable sinners, longing to be free.  But what if we are what he says we are?  What if believing it is the only thing that makes a difference?   

We are the light, the city on the hill.  We are necessary.  We have a role to play right here, right now.  And our faithful devotion to God, to each other, and to our neighbors will show forth the power of God in Christ Jesus.  How can we light up Main Street in Akron, become a beacon in Lancaster, a brilliant point of Light in Pennsylvania?  What are we becoming as we grow together in relationship with Christ? What Jesus says to us is not "American exceptionalism" or "self-esteem building".  He calls us light and salt because he knows what darkness and decay can do to us.  He knows we must begin to believe a better story about ourselves; as a people, as a body of believers, as a church, as a community.  So, if we are light, let us be brilliant.  If we are salt, let us be a life preserver.  Let us be these things for our sake and for our neighbors.  Amen.