“Salt and Light”
Matthew 5:13-16
Today’s lesson comes right after, what are called the Beatitudes—or what we talked about last Sunday—it’s the beginning of Jesus’ great big famous Sermon on the Mount.
You see, even though Jesus was just beginning His public ministry, He had already attracted quite a following.
We are told right before Chapter 5 that Jesus “went throughout Galilee…proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
And, “News about [Jesus] spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.”
Then we are told, “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him…”
And “when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside, sat down, His disciples came to him, and he” started preaching.
And looking up at Him were the suffering masses.
They were the poor, the uneducated, the disillusioned, the abused, the misfits, the oppressed and the marginalized.
They had no power.
And they never expected to have any power.
They were just trying to survive another day.
Jesus looked at them and Jesus said:
“You are the salt of the earth.”
“You are the light of the world.”
What do you think they thought of that?
Did they think Jesus was crazy?
And what was Jesus thinking in saying something so radical—especially to that motley crew?
In ancient Israel, salt was a part of the rituals of sacrifice.
Before modern refrigeration, salt was a necessity when it came to preserving foods.
How important is salt?
40 million tons are required each year to fill our needs.
Homer called salt divine.
Plato called it a "substance dear to the gods."
Shakespeare mentioned salt 17 times in his plays.
Perhaps Leonardo da Vinci wanted to send a subtle message about purity lost when he painted "The Last Supper."
In that painting an overturned bowl of salt is conspicuously placed before Judas.
In ancient Greece a far-flung trade involving the exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "...not worth his salt."
Special salt rations were given to Roman soldiers and known as "Solarium Argentums" the forerunner of the English word "salary."
Thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal--their bodies lacked salt.
The human body contains about 4oz. of salt.
Without enough of it, muscles won't contract, blood won't circulate, food won't digest and the heart won't beat a beat.
Without a doubt, salt is essential for life.
Salt is a BIG DEAL!
And light?
They didn’t even have electricity when Jesus gave this sermon.
Therefore, they could really only accomplish and do things during the day—when the sun was out.
I mean, ever try and read a book in the dark—without a lamp or a flashlight?
Ever try and find your way through the woods in total darkness?
“You are the salt of the earth.”
“You are the light of the world.”
And Jesus said this to this humble mob.
And I think it’s interesting and telling that the word “you” in this sentence is plural.
In other words, it’s not any one of them by themselves, but if they work together…
Last week two representatives from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank made an appointment to come speak to me in order how to find out what we did to make The Red Bank Community Food Pantry so successful—in other words, what’s the secret ingredient?
They have been extremely impressed by the money we have been able to raise, the number of volunteers, how organized the operation is—the way the Community has come together and the amount of people we are feeding—between 700 and 800 a month, and we’ve only been operating since October.
They want to be able to replicate what we are doing here across the county.
That’s quite a compliment given that the Chattanooga Area Food Bank is part of a National Network of Food Banks called: “Feeding America.”
And so, I told them how we started, with a calling from God, and community meetings in our sanctuary.
We talked for about an hour, or I did.
And what I kept saying over and over was that we couldn’t do this by ourselves—just one church—it takes everyone working together.
It is a community effort, and the fact that it works is nothing short of a miracle from God.
And being involved with the Food Pantry is like living within a miracle—it’s like a modern-day version of the miracle of the Feeding of the 5,000.
Red Bank Baptist is involved, financially as well as with volunteers.
Journey Church plays a big role as does the Red Bank Church of Christ, Cumberland Presbyterian, White Oak Baptist, One Accord Church, Mountain Ministries, Mission Red Bank, the Mayor of Red Bank, the Vice Mayor along with a number of businesses and individuals from different churches and walks of life.
We are a diverse bunch.
We are, a beautiful motley crew.
And the fact that we are all working together for this common goal, and having such a great time doing it is a miracle.
I told them that our motto is: “Jesus said, ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,’ and therefore everyone who walks through these doors is Jesus.
We are to treat each person like we would treat Jesus Himself.
And if we don’t do that, we might as well not do it at all.”
Yes, I kept telling them that it’s a miracle, and that is the only explanation for it.
I got another call this past week from one of the people in charge of the East Ridge Community Food Pantry.
They are hosting a meal for their, now 75 individual volunteers plus their spouses and children, and they asked me to come speak and tell the story as to how the pantry got started.
And I’ll tell them the same thing I told the representatives from the Food Bank, I’ll tell them that it has to be God’s doing, because I—personally—am not all that smart…
…and I really have no idea what I’m doing.
But you know what?
If we allow God to use us…
…if we have a desire to be salt and light in this world—for the sake of Christ and the people He loves—God will use us no matter who we are or what we know or don’t know.
But again, we can’t do it alone—the “You” in the “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world” is plural—not singular.
And that’s a good thing, because it would be pretty weird and pretty lonely to be salt and light all by one’s-self.
I was talking with David about the miraculous things God is doing through the people of this church and we were also doing some dreaming about something I’ll mention in a minute…
…and David said, “We shouldn’t be able to run Safe House five days a week, but we do.”
And those of you who do run Safe House—You are being Salt and Light in this community for the sake of Jesus Christ and the people He loves.
And that’s a REALLY BIG DEAL!
A couple weeks ago, I was out in the parking lot with David when a man and his daughter approached.
The man was signing up his middle school aged child for Safe House and he kept thanking us for this ministry.
What prompted him to do this blew my mind.
He explained to us that the previous week when his daughter had been walking home from school in the drizzling rain, a strange car drove up beside her and a man said, “It’s raining outside.
Hop in the back of my car.”
By the grace of God her father had taught her not to get into a car with a stranger.
The girl said, “No thank you,” and kept on walking.
But the car continued to follow her; the man continued to try and coax her into his car—even though she kept saying “No.”
Do you know that car followed that young girl all the way to her front door?
What kind of darkness is that?
And it happened on one of the streets right behind this building.
This is one reason David and I feel God calling us to try and rally our church, other churches in the community and the community as a whole to sponsor and create something called “The Red Bank Community Summer Camp.”
It will be a fun, safe place for middle school kids to go during the long summer days when their parents or guardians are working.
Younger children often have day care.
And high school kids are nearly adults.
But what about middle school kids?
What are they going to do all summer long?
They are such a vulnerable group.
They are vulnerable to peer pressure; they are vulnerable to predators and they are vulnerable to doing things that can harm them.
Will they experiment with drugs or other things that may follow them all the way into adulthood, and very well could ruin their lives?
With the help of the other churches in town we can use the building God has entrusted to us, the beautiful gym and the great big yard to provide a safe, fun and life-changing summer for so many.
Imagine kids who have never been in a church setting, learning the Gospel, being surrounded by loving adults, being kept out of harm’s way.
Again, I know you do this during the school year through Safe House…
…and it is vitally important.
Just think what could be accomplished for God’s Kingdom if the entire community came together to protect, love and nurture these kids in the summer time as well.
Peter tells us that our enemy “the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes these little children in my name welcomes me.”
Let’s invite Jesus to Summer Camp in this building.
We might not be able to pull it off for this summer, it may take more time, or it may not happen at all.
But, if it is what God is calling us to do—it will happen, if we make ourselves available—together.
We will have a Community Meeting to discuss this idea on Thursday, March 5th, at 6 p.m. in our sanctuary.
Please come.
Archbishop William Temple is quoted as saying: “The church is the only organization on earth that exists for those who are not it’s members.”
And it’s true.
Salt loses its saltiness when we forget about those outside our doors.
Salt loses its saltiness when we become focused on self, rather than loving God and neighbor.
“You are the salt of the earth.”
“You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
To glory your Father in heaven.
That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
What are we without that?
Glorifying God is what makes us human.
It’s what provides us with a moral compass.
It’s what causes us to love ourselves and love others.
It is what gives us hope.
And isn’t that what we all need more than anything else?
That crowd—and especially the disciples listening to Jesus preach on the mountainside some 2,000 years ago had no idea what lay ahead for them.
They had no idea that God would use them to start His Church.
They had no idea they would end up risking life and limb for the sake of Christ—for the sake of love.
They had no idea what a huge sacrifice it would be to take Jesus up on His offer to be “The salt of the world” and “The light of the world.”
They also had no idea how worthwhile it would be, the miracles they would see, and how filled with meaning their lives would become.
It’s the same for us today.
Nothing is more exciting than this.
Nothing is more worthwhile.
YOU—my friends—All of YOU together, along with all the other people and Churches in this Community—You are the “Salt of the earth.”
YOU---are the “light of the world”
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Amen.
