“You are Salt and Light”

Meditation on Matthew 5:13-20

Feb. 9, 2014

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       ‘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.

***

     I can’t remember the first time I sang “This Little Light of Mine.”  I do remember singing it in Vacation Bible School and Sunday school when I was young. Along with “Jesus Loves Me,” probably most of you learned “This Little Light of Mine” when you were a child, too.

     Let’s see if we can remember the words.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine,
Hide it under a bushel - NO!
I'm gonna let it shine, Let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine.

Don't let Satan blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Don't let Satan blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine
Don't let Satan blow it out.
I'm gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Let it shine till Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine till Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine,
Let it shine till Jesus comes.
I'm gonna let it shine.
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." 

     When I learned this song, I thought it was all about learning to be like Jesus, trying to be a good example of a Christian, so others would come to know Him. And it is. Shining my light meant that I should talk about my faith, share the gospel and never be ashamed, never “hide my light” from the world.  The song, not the scripture, taught me that I should guard my light from Satan, because he wanted to blow it out—and take my faith away.  That was a scary thought. 

      Thinking back to my childhood, I know for a fact that I wasn’t a good example of a Christian. My brother and I were always bickering and fighting. I wasn’t always respectful to my parents. My room was messy, though my parents wanted me to keep it clean. I wasn’t always grateful for what I had; I often wanted whatever my brother or friends had. I didn’t often think about people who were poor and hungry. I wasn’t a friend to the friendless. And, worst of all, I don’t remember ever talking about my faith to anyone other than my best friend, who was already a Christian. Let me put it this way.  I didn’t live to love and serve the Lord.  Life was all about me.

     Though I know God doesn’t hold my past failures against me, I am still ashamed of my selfishness. Though I had His light within me, I did not choose to allow His light to shine through me. I am sure that I didn’t understand just how much God loved me.

     Even now, as an adult who fully accepts God’s lavish grace and unconditional love, I know that I cannot possibly measure up to Christ’s call to righteous living and perfectly follow the laws of God. None of us can! The only way we are more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees is through belief on the blood of Christ shed for our sins.

    Yet Christ, in His grace, assures us,

   “You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world.”

***

     Today’s passage on salt and light is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus speaks to His disciples in the presence of a great crowd of sick and afflicted people who prompt the sermon in the first place but who also listen attentively to His words.  Christ is talking about the crowd and His disciples when he says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… and those who are merciful… the pure in heart… and the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” The salt and light verses immediately follow Jesus saying that those who are persecuted, falsely accused, hated and reviled because of Him are blessed!  They will receive their reward in heaven. Rejoice and be glad, Christ says, for the prophets were persecuted, too.

     The disciples, upon hearing Christ’s “You are the salt of the earth….You are the light of the world…” may have had mixed feelings. They may have, like me, been convicted of their own unworthiness. They may have been fearful of the future—and the suffering Christ said they would endure for Him. And they may have felt joy to be so valuable for God’s plan for the salvation of the world.

    Salt in the ancient world was a prized preservative; without it in a warm climate with no refrigeration food spoiled quickly. Salt was necessary for ancient sacrifice and a coveted culinary item; it brings out the flavor of foods.

     Light, in ancient writings, is often a metaphor for goodness, purity, wisdom, understanding, and truth. Light brings comfort and guides us at night as it illumines our way, revealing any obstacles or dangers along the path. The power of light is that it penetrates darkness—and the darkness is no more.   

 ***

   As a pastor now, I hear this passage in Matthew speaking not just to individuals, but to the entire Church. This is our calling, friends—to walk in His light, to be lights for Him, and to share His light! Jesus in John 8:12 says, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

     Our Lord speaks to Christians in every time and place when He says, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…”

      On our own, our lights may seem “little” like the song we learned in childhood. But together as the Body of Christ our light shines like a city on a hill. Our light cannot be hidden! And Satan can never take it away.

      Jesus doesn’t want us to look back and dwell on past mistakes. You and I will learn to forgive ourselves as we understand, more and more, that we are God’s beloved. Our Heavenly Father wants us to live in the present moment, to trust in Him now and move forward with what He wants us to do.

      We all have Christ’s loving, living presence inside of us. His Spirit is a gift to us from our gracious God at our baptism.  His light that dwells within us leads us to do good works for the world to see as a witness to the Father’s glory.

     Sharing His light means sharing His love, showing His compassion and kindness to people in need. We may not be aware of it, but we take Christ’s light, His reconciling peace and calming presence, everywhere we go. It’s up to us to let His light shine, let it shine, let it shine! 

      Being a light in the darkness means that we may be persecuted and hated, and suffer for His sake. But we are blessed! By sharing His light, we are building our treasure in heaven. Be assured today that God loves you and accepts you just the way you are. You are important to Him. The Lord is using you for His purposes, despite your flaws and weaknesses. Despite the mistakes of the past. And He will continue to use you for His work—to use US for His work—until He comes again.

      Listen!

     Jesus says, “You are…”

    “You are the salt of the earth…. the light of the world.”

Let us pray.

Holy Father, thank you for sending your light into our darkness and for filling us with the light of Christ at our baptism. Thank you for your unconditional love and forgiveness through belief on your Son, whose shed blood was sufficient for all sin. Please help us to walk in your ways and always choose to let your light shine through us.  Move us to share your love and compassion with people who do not know Jesus as their Savior.  Reassure us every day that we are your beloved and that the past mistakes aren’t held against us. That you’re not keeping score! Lead us to greater deeds of faith and to do your good works as a witness to your glory.   In Christ we pray.  Amen.