Epiphany 5 (A)
Matthew 5:13-20‘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.
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Sermon
You may have seen this past week that former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has a new book out that tells his story of serving under President George W. Bush and his father before him H. George Bush. A book where he tries to show how his life fits in the overall scheme of the time. A book where he tries to spell out what his life means in the big picture of world events. And before him, Dick Cheney put out his book showing how his life fits in the big picture of American and world history. And before him President Obama. And before him Hillary Clinton. And before her Al Gore.
There are a couple of lessons we can take from the books of the rich, famous, and powerful. First is the lesson that history is written by the rich and powerful. It tells their stories. The second lesson is . . . you don’t have to be rich and powerful to wonder where your life fits in the big picture. Ordinary people from all walks of life wonder “where does my life fit in?” When it’s all said and done, “what does my life really mean?”
It’s a question Jesus sees written all over our faces day in and day out. It’s a question Jesus saw written on the faces of the crowds in today’s lesson from Matthew. Because they have come to him, today, to hear him speak again. And they have gathered at the mount where he taught so many times. It’s important to note where Jesus did his teaching. It’s important to note where Jesus did his miracles. It’s important to note where he performed his healings. When Jesus went about spreading the good news of God’s kingdom, the Bible says that he moved among the towns and villages. He went from one small community to another.
He did not spend his time in the great centers of power. He did not set up an office in the city of Jerusalem. He did not travel to Rome. No, he moved among people on the margins, people who were ordinary people like you and me trying to get through another day. He invested his energy in small towns and villages, the Bargersvilles of the world. Where people were doing their best to raise a family. Doing their best to eke out a living. Doing their best to keep their sanity in a world that seems to be falling apart.
Imagine their surprise when Jesus looks at them knowing that they too want to know how their life fits in the big picture and says:
“You are the salt of the earth.”
Jesus says that when he looks at the big picture, you are to the world as salt is to the earth. In his day salt had a number of uses. Mainly it was used for seasoning. It was a spice that was added to food. It brought out flavor. It added interest. It added enjoyment to an otherwise plain meal. Salt did all this and more as you and I know so well. In the seasoning, in the adding of flavor and seasoning, salt creates a craving. It makes you want more.
I remember not too many years ago I noticed one of my kids making some microwave popcorn. I probably shouldn’t mention his name. It might embarrass the only son I’ve got. After he popped the popcorn and poured it into the bowl, he took out the salt shaker and covered it with salt. After he finished eating all the popcorn, he took his finger, licked it, and ran it around the bowl wiping up every last magic little crystal. But he didn’t stop there. Next he went into the kitchen where he had set aside the emptied bag of popcorn and tore it into strips and pieces where he then licked off the inside of the bag.
That's a boy after my own heart.
Jesus says you are the salt of the earth. You create a craving. But a craving for what?
Another thing that salt was used for in Jesus’ day was as a preservative. It helped keep meat from going bad. It helped keep it from turning sour. It helped keep it from spoiling. It kept it pure. Jesus says that you are the salt of the earth. You add flavor, and interest, and seasoning, and a craving to preserve what is pure. In the big picture of things, in the overall scheme of things you help your world desire what is good and holy. When it’s all said and done your presence, your being, made white as the whitest salt with the grace of Jesus Christ, keeps the world from spoiling. You are what is good and decent and right in the world.
Not only are you the salt of the earth,
“You are the light of the world.”
What does light do? As it streams in from the sun, the stars, and from every other source in the universe, light illumines. It reveals. It shows. “Shows what?” you say. Light shows the beautiful spectrum of color God has woven into the fabric of creation. Last weekend, I took our confirmation kids to Chicago for a youth gathering. You ever been to Chicago? It’s always the same there, isn’t it? Gray and overcast. Does the sun not ever shine there? God could have, if he had wanted, made the entire world look like Chicago. But he didn’t. He filled it with beauty and color and fascinating shapes and textures to enrich our lives.
From where Jesus sits, he says, “You are the light of the world.” In the big picture, you bring beauty and color. You are what makes the world interesting.
Now, I know what you are thinking. It’s all over your faces: “Hold on there you good looking preacher. How in the world am I supposed to be all that? I’ve got my own moral battles without having to deal with the pressure of preserving the world. I’ve got my own problems. I don’t have the time or the energy to be interesting or to add flavor to the world.”
And I suspect that that the people listening to Jesus speak on that mount long ago had a similar response. Their lives, like yours, were not all that polished. They, like you, were just everyday ordinary people.
It can be a little surprising to think of your lives having such incredible influence in the world. It’s not the kind of thing we would expect. It doesn't seem to fit.
It reminds me of my home town in Texas. As I have shared with you in the past, my home town is not the kind of place people travel to for vacation. It’s not an attractive place. It’s not a sweet smelling place. It’s a blue collar town where people make their livings mostly in the oil field. It’s dirty hot smelly work. You can blindfold me and drive me across the country and I can tell you how close I am to home by the smell of the oil refineries in the area.
Pretty much all there is to do in Odessa is to “tie-one-on” at a local bar, watch high school football, or mangle the English language. Country comedian Jeff Foxworthy travels to Odessa to look for new material.
Be that as it may, one thing that you probably do not know about Odessa is that right in the center of the town is the Globe. Not the globe as in a model of the earth on a frame. But the Globe, as in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. In my home town, where missing teeth, mangled English, and mullets are as common as swamp coolers -- sits the most exact and precise replica of Williams Shakespeare’s original theatre in the world.
Universities, colleges, drama groups from around the country travel to Odessa yearly to perform the most pristine and beautiful form of the English language there ever was. It is a gem, a bright precious jewel, in an otherwise earthy ordinary town.
From where Jesus sits, you are the gem. You are the bright precious jewel that reflects and refracts his brilliance into the world. It is not something you become, not something you reach for, not something you work toward . . . it is something you already are. At least, that's how it looks from where Jesus sits.
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