Salt and Light (Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount)

Salt and Light

(Reflections on the Sermon on the Mount)

Jesus said, “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 hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, 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. (Matthew 5:13-15)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus does not say to his disciples, “you will become salt and light. Instead, Jesus proclaims, “you are already salt and light.” The disciples are those things because Jesus has called them and they have responded. And we, because we have been called by Jesus to be his disciples and have also responded to that call, are also salt and light.

We too are called by Jesus to let our light shine among all people. We do this by the good works we perform in Jesus’ name which build up God’s Kingdom on Earth. The Prophet we call Second Isaiah gives us a vision of what a life of salt and light looks like as he proclaims God’s message to the people of Judah in the sixth century B.C.

        Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 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? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, here I am. (Isaiah 58:6-9)

What might Isaiah’s vision look like in twenty-first century America? I share three examples from my life experience which I hope will lead you to reflect on your life as a

disciple and as light and salt in the world.

A long, long time ago, when I was just out of college, I served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Two of my many friends in the small mountain town also served in the Peace Corps. Merry worked in Women’s Health and birth control, and Paul helped to organize an Agricultural Co-Operative, fostering team work, better agricultural skills and maximization of profits for subsistence farmers in our area. Through these two friends and my own work as a Forester and Teacher at the National Forestry School I learned to see the world through different eyes, and hopefully was able to be salt and light to some of God’s Children.

Living in New Orleans in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s I was part of an Episcopal Church coalition which provided meals to the homeless on the one day a week that was  covered by no other organization. After we served the meal we ate with those whom we served. It was not easy. Their daily lives were so different from ours. After lunch they would head back out onto the streets, or go to the public library to hang out, or to a fast food restaurant where it was warm. I would head out to pick up my son and go to the gym with him, or go watch his soccer games. No, it was not easy, but it was important. I learned a great deal about other people, and just as important, I learned even more about myself and my pre-conceived ideas about what life was and is and should be.

Last, but not least, I am privileged and blessed to be the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Albertville, Alabama where I see the Light of Christ in these people every day as we worship together, provide food in the form of beans and rice to over 100 families every month, prepare Blessings in a Backpack for hungry children in our local schools, and care for each other as we provide food, clothing, shelter, and transportation when needs arise in our own church community,

Take a moment and look at your own lives see where God is using you as the light and salt that you already are. God will bless you and you will be a blessing.