Sermon - 2020=02=09
Every Sunday, when I was growing up, we would go to church and Sunday school. I would get to see my friends, family and learn more. But every Sunday, when we got home, we had a tradition of having eggs, sausage or bacon, toast, orange juice, coffee. On the toast, we always had homemade jellies or jams that were so good. I would always take a big knife full and cover every inch of that toast so that I could enjoy more and more of that delicious jelly. The bacon was a gift that my grandma gave to us from the hogs that she raised and shared the meat with the family.
Now we sat around and loved to have that bacon too. We would fight over who would get the last piece. We would fight over the crispy ones vs the fatty ones. We shared that salted meat within the meal and it brought us so much joy and memories.
Every Sunday, it was something that I looked forward to and the first time that I was away at college on a Sunday, I missed that. Now I realized that I could have easily gone out and made it myself, I could have gone to a restaurant and ordered the same meal. However, it was not the meal itself that I missed, it was the tradition of getting to be with my family. To have them part of my life and part of what I was doing. It was this meal, this time together, and a longing for that moment to be preserved within my life.
As I was reading through the gospel, I was reminded over and over again of that bacon and the meal that we would share together. “You are the salt of earth. You are the light in the world.” Jesus shares these messages for the people who are gathered there. He was calling on them, to know what it is they as people of God are being asked to do in the world. In our own modern times, when we call someone “salty”, it is a term not of preservation but of being stubborn and bitter. This is something that we need to talk about in order to translate and understand Jesus' meaning for us. Today we use salt as a spice to give food flavor. In ancient times, salt was used as a preservative. A means of preserving meat and other goods so that they would stay safe to eat. The salt would also taste delicious and would help a person stay healthy. However, Jesus was using this understanding of salt being a preservative to call the people to know, You are the salt of the earth. You are being called to preserve God’s Word and the covenant God makes with you. God is showing up with the good stuff, the meat, we are coming to preserve what it is God is giving to us.
You are the light of the world. When you look at something in daylight, it has a vibrant light and energy to it that other forms of lighting simply do not convey. It sometimes amazes me that when someone walks out in public, you will find that they are wearing black with a dark navy or dark brown. When they were getting dressed that morning, they light that they were in, did not give to them an honest perspective of the true color something is. To bring something to light, is to bring about honesty and clarity to a situation, event or have greater understanding.
Jesus is sharing with the crowd that we are the light, we are bringing forth the truth and honest message that God is delivering to them. We should not hide this realization but share it with others. Allow others to learn of their own shortcomings so that they can better themselves, hear God’s forgiveness and to be able to no longer hurt themselves or others through their thoughts or actions.
So truly what are these messages calling for us to be as Disciples of Jesus Christ and the Chosen People of God? To be salt of the earth, means that we are called to preserve our relationships with God and with one another. We are called to strengthen them. We are called to share that relationship not in historical terms but preserve it so that it may have life for the people. To be light in the world means that we shall not only have problems but face them head on so as to find a solution until the next one will come along. That the problem or mistake may not define you but God’s Love and Light would define you. This is part of the earthly aspect of our calling here in the church. This is not something that is easy or that we shall have mastered even at 100 years old. However it is something that we are to strive for.
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Now we sat around and loved to have that bacon too. We would fight over who would get the last piece. We would fight over the crispy ones vs the fatty ones. We shared that salted meat within the meal and it brought us so much joy and memories.
Every Sunday, it was something that I looked forward to and the first time that I was away at college on a Sunday, I missed that. Now I realized that I could have easily gone out and made it myself, I could have gone to a restaurant and ordered the same meal. However, it was not the meal itself that I missed, it was the tradition of getting to be with my family. To have them part of my life and part of what I was doing. It was this meal, this time together, and a longing for that moment to be preserved within my life.
As I was reading through the gospel, I was reminded over and over again of that bacon and the meal that we would share together. “You are the salt of earth. You are the light in the world.” Jesus shares these messages for the people who are gathered there. He was calling on them, to know what it is they as people of God are being asked to do in the world. In our own modern times, when we call someone “salty”, it is a term not of preservation but of being stubborn and bitter. This is something that we need to talk about in order to translate and understand Jesus' meaning for us. Today we use salt as a spice to give food flavor. In ancient times, salt was used as a preservative. A means of preserving meat and other goods so that they would stay safe to eat. The salt would also taste delicious and would help a person stay healthy. However, Jesus was using this understanding of salt being a preservative to call the people to know, You are the salt of the earth. You are being called to preserve God’s Word and the covenant God makes with you. God is showing up with the good stuff, the meat, we are coming to preserve what it is God is giving to us.
You are the light of the world. When you look at something in daylight, it has a vibrant light and energy to it that other forms of lighting simply do not convey. It sometimes amazes me that when someone walks out in public, you will find that they are wearing black with a dark navy or dark brown. When they were getting dressed that morning, they light that they were in, did not give to them an honest perspective of the true color something is. To bring something to light, is to bring about honesty and clarity to a situation, event or have greater understanding.
Jesus is sharing with the crowd that we are the light, we are bringing forth the truth and honest message that God is delivering to them. We should not hide this realization but share it with others. Allow others to learn of their own shortcomings so that they can better themselves, hear God’s forgiveness and to be able to no longer hurt themselves or others through their thoughts or actions.
So truly what are these messages calling for us to be as Disciples of Jesus Christ and the Chosen People of God? To be salt of the earth, means that we are called to preserve our relationships with God and with one another. We are called to strengthen them. We are called to share that relationship not in historical terms but preserve it so that it may have life for the people. To be light in the world means that we shall not only have problems but face them head on so as to find a solution until the next one will come along. That the problem or mistake may not define you but God’s Love and Light would define you. This is part of the earthly aspect of our calling here in the church. This is not something that is easy or that we shall have mastered even at 100 years old. However it is something that we are to strive for.
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