Matthew 5: 13-20; “We are Salt and Light” ICCM; Pastor Rebecca Ellenson
Let us pray. Most loving God, you show us yourself in the body—the body of Christ. You show us yourself in Jesus, our brother, our friend, our servant, our savior. We want to see you more clearly. Most loving God, you show yourself to us in the body of Christ, it the flesh, in each other, and in ourselves. You identify us as your body in the world. We want to see ourselves more clearly, as Salt and Light. Amen.
Who are we? We answer that question in many ways. When asked who I am I usually answer with my name or one of my roles. I am Rebecca, or I am a pastor, or Steve’s wife, or Cora and Kelsey and Peter’s mom.
Today we look at one of the ways Jesus described his followers. The bible uses a variety of images to describe us. We are the Body of Christ.
In today’s gospel Jesus was seated by the Sea of Galilee, teaching the crowds. He was a body, flesh and blood, a man who knew and felt all that we are. Jesus was certainly more than just the one who died on the cross though. He was also the living, serving, teaching, laughing, loving, growing body—the friend of Mary and Martha, of James and John.
And even that is not all. He is also the risen body, the one who rose from death victorious and promises us that resurrection life too. The one who sent the Spirit to lead us into all knowledge. When we say we are the Body of Christ we proclaim that we are connected to all of that. We are joined to Christ in life and death and resurrection. There is nothing that we experience that is far away from God.
We’ve been reading from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. In chapter12, verses13-27 is the main place where he describes who we are using the image of Christ’s body. It answers the question, who are we? with a collective answer. We are part of the whole, we are part of the living changing organism that is the church. Each part is important. Not only are we connected to Christ, we are connected to each other and serve as little Christ’s to each other and together we, the church, serve as Christ to the world. God is counting on us to be his body.
Images are helpful. They help us to understand things that mere words cannot. In the sermon on the mount Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He says, This is what we are, not what we will be or what we are supposed to be. It is what we are.
Today these are common, ordinary, inexpensive items. In Jesus’ day they were not common or ordinary or cheap.
Salt is essential for life. Without it our bodies stop functioning. We are literally salt, blood and bodily fluids are salty. So, this image tells us we are absolutely necessary. The church is needed for the life and the health of the world, just as salt is needed for life. Even in our modern sophisticated world, what is perhaps the most common treatment in a hospital—Intravenous saline?
Salt was especially valuable in biblical times. Today we buy it for a few cents, or get it for free in fast food stores. We have so much that some of us limit our salt intake for health reasons. But in Jesus’ day it was mined. It was not as pure as it is today. Salt was mined or derived from natural sources, like sea water. Purified salt was so valuable, in fact, that it was used in many religious ceremonies. It was used as currency. People were often paid in salt—hence the word salary.
Last year Steve and I went to the city of Comala in the Mexican State of Colima for a few days. There we bought sea salt, naturally harvested and prized for its excellent quality. I thought salt was salt—I grew up on the Morton Salt, the one in the round box with the girl with an umbrella on it. But I discovered that there’s salt, and then there’s SALT! I gained a new appreciation for this image of who we are in Christ.
Salt is useful, as a preservative, a purifier, an antiseptic. Jesus says we are salt, that which heals, cleanses, saves, preserves.
Salt also, obviously, adds flavor. If I pour salt in water, the two mingle together and the salt permeates the liquid. Once it is added to food the food is changed and the salt cannot be removed or separated. Salt adds flavor to the whole dish. On the shelf in the kitchen it cannot affect a dish’s flavor. It has to be added. As salt, we can permeate the world and improve its character.
Light is everywhere these days. At the flip of a switch or the striking of a match we can illumine our lives. Not so in Jesus’ day. Little lamps filled with costly oils gave the only produced light. The sun and the moon and the stars were the only other source of light. It’s hard to even imagine such a dark world. Maybe we can experience that in some remote places, like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or the far reaches of the Quetico, or in the middle of the ocean, but today we have nearly the opposite experience. Like salt, even a tiny bit of light can completely change its environment.
Light gives hope; everything seems scarier in the dark. Light can expose what we fear and make it manageable. As the church we bring the light of hope to others. Light makes things understandable. As the people of God our presence can do the same for another. Light can be beautiful, it can give sparkle, even to a rock. We can bring out the sparkle in the world, exposing for others the beauty in them and around them. Light gives safety. When life is dangerous the church can offer a refuge and a safe place.
Who are we? We are the body of Christ. We may feel fear or loneliness or a lack of purpose. We may not feel worthy. But Jesus says we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He does not say we can be these things or that we should be. We are. We are valuable, useful, essential. We add health, flavor, hope, beauty, and safety to the world. We do not do this all by ourselves. We do it as the community of God. The Body whose members are all important parts of the whole.
Let us pray. You have named us and claimed us as Salt and Light. Send us out like rays of light or grains of salt to bring you into all the world. Amen.