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5 Epiphany Year A 2/5/2023
Isaiah 58:1-12; Psalm 112:1-10; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20
Rev. Mark A. Lafler
Our Gospel reading today continues the teachings of Jesus known as the Sermon on the Mount. It started last week with the beatitudes.
Jesus noticed the crowds that were gathering and went up on a mount and began to teach the people.
Interestingly, it was Saint Augustine who coined the title, “The Sermon on the Mount” way back in the 4th century.
Well, in our section – today’s reading – we find two metaphors that describe the impact that a believer has.
The people of God should be like salt and they should be like light.
Jesus declares:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
Salt has a lot of uses… In fact, I came across a Reader’s Digest article that listed over 60 uses for salt.
But… if salt loses its impact… it’s saltiness… what is it good for?
Salt brings out the best in things…
As the late author and pastor Eugene Peterson puts it:
You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness?
We are to help people know what God is doing on this earth.
Jesus goes on to say:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others…
Light enhances our ability to see…
in fact, without light we can’t see at all.
Light is never meant to be hidden… what good is it for then?
No one turns on a lamp in a dark room and then puts a box over it…
Light helps people see…
You can’t help but notice light… it dispels darkness.
We are here to help people see what God is doing on this earth.
The late, John Stott – a Priest and Scholar from England wrote these challenging words:
You know what your own country is like.
I’m a visitor, and I wouldn’t presume to speak about America.
But I know what Great Britain is like.
I know something about the growing dishonesty, corruption, immorality, violence, pornography, the diminishing respect for human life, and the increase in abortion.
Whose fault, is it?
Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house.
That’s what happens when the sun goes down.
The question to ask is, “Where is the light?”
If meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat.
That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, “Where is the salt?”
If society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there’s no sense in blaming society. That’s what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked.
The question to ask is “Where is the church?”
Tough words to swallow by our dear brother from the Church of England.
But there is something else that Christ mentions that struck me the most in this passage…
Jesus said:
…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
The salt and light that Christ was talking about are affective by good works…
Good works!
Now works… this idea of working…
Doing good works…
kind of got a bad reputation during the Middle Ages…
It was taught back then that good works,
sometimes called indulgences in the Middle Ages,
were “a way [to] reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins.”
In other words, works relegated the impact of sin…
therefore some emphasized a paradigm that suggested works brought one closer to salvation.
Well this is one area that led Martin Luther to nail his 95 theses to the Wittenberg Door which ignited the Reformation in the 16th century…
which gave birth to the Protestant Church.
Well, there’s a bit more to it than just that… but ever since then works has been pushed to the backseat of the car in favor of grace.
And this is where a little powerful verse in Ephesians 2(:8-9) becomes so important:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
According to St. Paul, we are saved by grace through our faith in God’s faithfulness…
This is not something we conjure up…
Salvation is the gift of God…
Salvation is NOT achieved by works…
if it were, it wouldn’t be about God’s grace…
his gift…
It would be about our achievements, our actions, our ability to earn salvation.
But that is not the Gospel.
That is not Christianity.
There are plenty of religions that teach works are the way to salvation.
But it’s NOT our faith.
So where do good works come into this?
We don’t do good works to achieve salvation…
But because God has given us salvation by His grace…
Through faith…
Through belief in Jesus Christ for our salvation…
We do good works!
It is a response to the grace in our life… God has ministered to us and we in turn minister His love to the people around us…
Our righteousness is by his grace.
Our salvation is by his grace.
We are the salt of the earth… by his grace.
We are the light of the world… by his grace.
Let them see this grace by our good works.
So, what are good works?
It’s really anything that draws attention to God’s love and God’s kingdom…
Like helping someone who has physical needs…
or encouraging a co-worker or neighbor.
It’s serving at church.
It’s helping those who are the outcasts of society.
It’s doing the things we see Jesus and the early church doing in the Scriptures.
But in the context of our reading it’s the works that come from displaying the beatitudes…
(the verses right before our text)
People who display meekness and mercy…
People who are peacemakers.
Believers who are pure in heart…
Believers who are persecuted for righteousness.
And they all have to do with how we treat other people…
Pointing the way to Christ – by good works.
On a Christmas Eve…
three children carried their candles home from church.
Each thought the candle precious… in relationship to the commitment made in the beautiful Candle Light Service.
One had not even lit the candle in order to keep it good as new.
The other had let the candle burn during the service and carried it forth still lit from the church, but it blew out at the doorway.
The third blew out his candle and took it home and lit it a number of times during the year until it was burned down into the dish.
“Look,” said Mary. “after ten months, had passed, I still have my candle as good as new. I was smarter than the others.
John’s is all burned up and Eddie’s just lays in the drawer half used up.
Who’s the smartest, mother?”
“I don’t know,” replied the mother. “Candles are made to be used.
They give forth their light for whatever the user decides.
Who can say what John was thinking, as he did his work with the lighted candle,
and who knows how Eddie feels, when he opens his drawer and sees the candle.
Candles have a purpose… they are meant to be lit!
We are meant to use our lives being helpful to others…
To love all those around us…
Whether you like to light candles or not…
there is a spiritual light that should be in you…
That is the light of Christ Jesus!
And that light should shine through you and out to others.
It is not how big your candle is…
It’s not about the talent…
It’s not about all the abilities…
It’s about shining the light of Christ in your life.
So, as we reflect once again on the Sermon on the Mount…
May we all be reminded today…
That because of the grace that Jesus Christ has given us…
Because of the faith we have in the cross of Jesus…
Because of the hope we have in the resurrection of the Son of God…
In the words of Jesus:
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Amen.