Matthew 5:13-20 "On Salt, Light.....and Ketchup?"

         Come with me now to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, the home stage and studio of “A Prairie Home Companion.”  Deep into the weekly radio show, Garrison Keillor, the longtime host and writer, directs us to a public service announcement from the Ketchup Advisory Board:  “These are the good years, for Jim and Barb (it will begin). Except for the crushing depression of winter, and the terrible memories of childhood…”

         Now, if Garrison Keillor were to be responsible for the metaphors in the portion of the Sermon on the Mount that we just read, he probably would have chosen different ones. Actually, I think he would have chosen ketchup. 

         After all, as the script tells us each week, “ketchup contains natural mellowing agents that help people….relax and not be jerks…

“These are the good times”, (the concluding jingle begins)

“Life is flowing….Like ketchup on hot dogs….Ketchup, for the good times.”

        

         However, we all know that Garrison Keillor did not select the metaphors used in the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus did – and Jesus did not choose ketchup - or mayo – or any processed food for that matter. 

         Jesus chose salt – and then he chose light – in order to express to his disciples just what it meant to be follow him and just what he expected of those who had made a commitment to live the dream and passion of God about which he preached and taught.

         And so Jesus, rather than saying “You are the ketchup on cheese curds” said instead: “You are the salt of the earth.”  “You are the light of the world.”

         Just as ketchup is a powerful metaphor for Jim and Barb on “A Prairie Home Companion”, so the phrases that Jesus chose were equally as powerful to Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other disciples.  Let’s look at these metaphors a bit more closely.

         So, first off, then, why salt? After all, today we live with salt as close as the nearest shaker on the dining room table.  In fact, modern medicine tells us that most people consume too much salt and consequently are significantly more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide, not to mention being at an increased risk for stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer, and kidney disease. 

         On a more optimistic note, if you were to ask Mark Kulansky, author of the popular book entitled Salt:  A World History, he would tell you that salt has done no less than “shape civilization.”  Salt has influenced wars, cultures, governments, religions, societies, economies, cooking, and foods. 

         Salt has been a staple in human culture going back to the ancient Chinese, who gathered salt as early as 6000 years BCE, right up through Biblical times and beyond.  Trade routes were established in order to transport salt, and salt was even used as currency. 

         In Jesus’ time, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt.  In fact, the Latin word for “salt” is the root of our English word “salary”.  It is also the origin of the expression “He’s worth his salt” or “He’s earning his salt.”

         No doubt about it, salt has a well-documented history as a precious commodity.  Equally well established is the fact that salt was used to flavor and preserve food.  People of means regularly sprinkled salt on their vegies and potatoes, and even the poor knew that rubbing meat with salt or curing it in a salt water brine would keep it from going bad. And, speaking of food, at great banquets, a distinction was made between those who sat above or below the salt on the table. 

         But not only that: Salt took on significant spiritual connotations as well. We know from Old Testament references that the Israelites covered their sacrifices in salt as a sign of the eternal nature and preservation of the covenant between God and God’s people.  Homer called salt a “divine substance” while Plato described it as especially near to the gods.

         Pretty impressive!  And yet, even with all this auspicious history of salt going back thousands of years, Jesus announced to the ragtag group of fishermen and “least of these” who became his first followers:  “You are the salt of the earth.”

         The same could be said for the metaphor of light. Now, it was not all that long ago that even we were dependent on natural light – the light from the sun.  Here in Maine, rural areas were not dependably electrified until the mid-1930’s.  When the sun went down, the workday was over. 

And candles rather than light bulbs once lit these very chandeliers here in our sanctuary.

         Now, during the ice storm in 1998, we lived in Cumberland and lost power for 4 days.  I do not know what it was like here in Raymond, but I learned then to what extent I relied on light – be it from a lamp or a computer screen or even an alarm clock. 

         In Jesus’ time, light had already taken on a spiritual significance as well. The prophet Isaiah used the image of light to offer hope to the Israelites exiled to Babylon. “Arise, shine, for your light has come” he proclaimed. 

         And remember the parable Jesus told about the bridesmaids who were not prepared because they did not have enough oil in their lamps to keep them lit and ward off the darkness? Likewise, the Apostle Paul drew on the image of light by referring to followers of Jesus as “children of the light.”  And the Gospel writer of John labels Jesus himself as the “Light of the World”. 

         Once again, awfully impressive!  And yet, identical to the image of salt, even with all this auspicious history of light going back thousands of years, Jesus said to the ragtag group of fishermen and “least of these” who became his first followers: “You are the light of the world.”

         Now, to really understand the significance of Jesus’ statements here, you must realize that these metaphors of salt and light directly follow the Beatitudes or blessings that we talked about last week.  The people that Jesus blessed – the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers– these are the ones he is speaking to now. The ones in pain, the hurting ones, the gentle ones, the ones like us - these are the ones whom he proclaims as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 

         These phrases are not demands to be something we are not.  Jesus is not telling us that we need to get something we do not yet have.  As Episcopal priest Michael Marsh reminds us, Jesus “does not say we should become salt. He says we already are salt. He does not say we are to become light. He says we already are light. We already are what we need to be. We already have all that we need.”

         Christian author Max Lucado puts it this way:  “This statement about salt and light is a reminder that whatever we are and whatever we do, as people of God, that's what the world gets… That's what the world gets to know about who God is.

         Collectively if we don't do what we're invited to do, what we're called to do, what we're made to do… it's not like there are a ton of others out there who are going to do it… You are what the world will know of God's reign… You are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the world.”

         That being said, these metaphors of salt and light are not for the faint of heart, to be sure, and they leave us with a fundamental question to answer.  Are we – you and I – ready to take on being the salt of the earth and the light of the world?  Will it be through us and because of our actions that the world will know of the reign of God? Will it be through us and because of our actions that the world will understand the reality of God’s love?

         Tough questions, but we have it in us, you know.  Jesus has declared it so in these verses tucked away in all this sermon material. We are the salt of the earth, he proclaims.  We are the light of the world.  God has put the finger on us and works through us – even in spite of ourselves sometimes.

         We are certainly called as individuals to be as salt and light, but we are also called as a faith community.  We are called as the church because being salt and light is what the church is all about, what this church should be all about. It is a high and worthy calling we are engaged in, you and I. 

         Presbyterian pastor Frederick Buechner puts it this way.  “Jesus calls us to show this truth forth, live this truth forth. Be the light of the world, he says. Where there are dark places, be the light especially there. Be the salt of the earth. Bring out the true flavor of what it is to be alive truly. Be truly alive. Be life-givers to others. 

         That is what Jesus tells the disciples to be. That is what Jesus tells his church, tells us, to be and do. Love each other. Heal the sick, he says. Raise the dead. Cleanse lepers. Cast out demons.

         That is what loving each other means. If the church is doing things like that, then it is being what Jesus told it to be. If it is not doing things like that - no matter how many other good and useful things it may be doing instead - then it is not being what Jesus told it to be. It is as simple as that.”  Be salt.  Be light.     

         Jesus tells us not to lose our flavor as we strive to be the salt of the earth.  Losing its saltiness is something that could happen to salt in Jesus’ day, you know.  Impurities invaded natural salt, and water could wash it away, diluting is effectiveness. 

         Perhaps Jesus then is reminding us that we too as the church will be urged in more ways than Sunday to blend in with our culture and to compromise our commitment to the Gospel.  Maintaining our saltiness is not easy in this day and age.  As I said, these labels of salt and light that we have taken on are not for anyone who is content to be a Sunday morning only sort of Christian.

         Jesus tells us also not to hide our light under a big old bushel basket. Obviously, the light is hidden then, and the surrounding area thrown into darkness.  Perhaps Jesus is reminding us that we too as the church need to be constantly asking ourselves whether his light - the light of Christ - is in fact shining through our ministries – or whether the four walls of this sanctuary are more like the big old bushel basket.

         "One night at the end of a special Saturday night worship service," writes Warren Hudson of Ontario, Canada, "a thunderstorm unleashed a bolt of lightning that plunged the church into darkness." With the congregation seated in total darkness, the pastor felt his way to the kitchen to find some candles. Everyone lit his or her candle just like on Christmas Eve, and then they all made their way through the church's winding hallways to the front door.

         "Peering out, we could see the rain coming down in sheets," Warren remembers. With traffic snarled, people were running for the nearest shelter. Looking around, they realized that the entire city was in darkness.

         "There in the darkness we stood," Warren writes, "a little band of Christians, each clutching a light, not sure whether to venture out into the storm or stay inside the church in hopes that the storm would soon blow over."

         There in the darkness, in this most dramatic way, he realized what it meant to be the "light of the world." Warren writes, "It occurred to me then that this is the temptation I face every day. It is easy to play it safe and be a good Christian in church. It is a lot harder to venture out in faith into the storms of the world."

         But Jesus is telling us: Venture out.  Be authentic.  Be true to who you as individuals and you as the church have been called to be. Be salt, and be light. Sound a bit overwhelming?

         Just remember that you – each one of you - is a precious commodity.  You – each one of you - is like a beacon in the darkness.  Live faithfully – each one of you - as a sign of God’s presence in this world.  Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.  Why?  Because you are a follower of Jesus and that is what you called to do.  Why?  Because you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

         I am going to play you a song from “Godspell” now, one that always comes to mind when I read this passage.

GODSPELL – YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

         This past week I was reading about one man’s remembrances of a church performance of that Broadway musical.  Here is what he wrote:  “’You are the light of the world,’ we all sang as our Jesus went out into the audience. He grabbed someone and had him stand up so we could all sing to that particular one, ‘You are the salt of the earth.’ Then quickly to another person he dashed. He got her to stand up so we could point to her and sing, ‘You are the city of God.’

         “It was the last song before intermission,” he continued. “We left the sanctuary rocking (but only half as much as we did singing the beautiful refrain at the conclusion of the performance): ‘We can build a beautiful city, yes we can. Yes we can. We can build a beautiful city. Not a city of angels, but finally a city of man.’”

         Build a city?  A beautiful city that offers glimpses of the Kingdom of God?  Us?  Yes, YOU!  Because YOU are the salt of the earth.  YOU are the light of the world. 

by Rev. Nancy Foran, Raymond Village Community Church U.C.C.