Matthew 5:13-20 - Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
[On this day, worshippers were asked to wear their work uniform or bring a symbol of their work so that we will be reminded of the connection between our faith and our work. I refer to it in my sermon several times.]
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
"So, what do you do?" You know the old question: "What do you do?" When we engage in small talk, when we meet a new person, the question often arises, "What do you do?" Most of the time the questioner is asking who your employer is and what kind of paid work you do. It helps us to get a glimpse inside someone’s life if we find out what kind of job they hold. Work occupies so much of our lives. Most working adults spend more time at work than with our families. For some people, work is just a job; for others, it’s the joy of getting paid for something they love to do. For some people, work is life-giving; for others, it’s life-depleting.
Just out of curiosity, I’d like to do a little study on the types of work we have represented here. Today I asked you to come to church in an outfit or uniform that represents your work (paid or unpaid, current or previous if retired). Our paraments on the altar today show different areas of work that people here may be involved in: science, farming, food service, music. If it could be said that you work in the scientific arena, please stand (engineers, chemists, forensic investigators, lab tech). (Be seated.) If you would categorize yourself as working with food, please stand (food prep, food sales, cafeteria workers). (Be seated.) If you work with plants or farming, please stand (gardeners, plant nursery workers). If you would consider yourself to be working in a helping profession, please stand (medicine, customer service, public safety, childcare, teachers). (Be seated.) If you work with words or writing or music or information, please stand (web design, secretary, admin asst, writer, musician). (Be seated.) We have a broad range of arenas and places where we work, and a broad range of people that we meet on a daily basis.
And yet, so often when we come to church, it’s as if those parts of our lives don’t even exist. How many of you even know what the other members of your own church do for a living? When we come together on a Sunday, it is easy for us to pretend as if our Sunday church selves are disconnected from our Monday through Friday work selves. Often, the announcements we make and events we publicize seem to imply that worshippers come with nothing on their minds except "church" concerns. "It is though [you] were expected to deposit all the "worldly" concerns of [your] workaday lives at the door, much as patrons of the old frontier saloons were requested to check their guns" (from the Ministry in Daily Life section of www.elca.org/dm).
Today we are reminded in a visual way that this is not the case. By wearing or bringing something which reminds you of your work, you have brought something which connects who you are on those other days to your church faith life. You are the same person when you attend church that you are when you report for work. Each aspect of your life informs the other.
Martin Luther spoke of the "priesthood of all believers": a theological concept that points to the fact that ministry is not just the work of the pastor. Luther reminded the laity (non-clergy) to be "little Christs" to each other. According to Luther, God’s people are to pray for each other. "They are to listen to their sisters’ and brothers’ confessions of sin and cries of distress. They are to speak God’s cheering word of forgiveness and consolation. They are to be agents of God’s overflowing goodness by ministering to the poor and oppressed" (from the Ministry in Daily Life section of www.elca.org/dm). Though pastors are called to the ministry of word and sacrament, they are not alone in their calling to minister to the world around them.
In fact, the argument could be made that ordained ministers actually do a much lesser amount of "ministry" than laypeople working in the "real" world. Have you ever wondered who does the most time ministering in the world - laypeople or clergy? Think about it - though clergy are often engaged in full-time "ministry", their time is often consumed working with people who are already "inside" the church. Clergy work mostly with church people talking about church events. It would be difficult for clergy to single-handedly carry out the church’s mission to be servants in and for the world. At best, clergy can equip church members to live out their own faith in daily life, so that they can be "little Christs" to those they work and live with.
Laypeople are more engaged on a daily basis "outside" the walls of the church. They work there; they play there; they get to know non-church members through regular contact. The laity are a "natural bridge by which a movement moves from the sanctuary to the street" (from the Ministry in Daily Life section of www.elca.org/dm). You touch corners of the world that I would never even find myself in. You have contacts in your work with many more unchurched people (that is, people who do not currently or have not ever belonged to the church) than I do in my work as an ordained pastor. As a Christian, you have ministry that can be carried out in your daily life.
So what is that ministry in daily life? How do we live out our faith in our daily routine? Let’s think about ministry in daily life by using Jesus’ images from Matthew 5:13-20. We Christians are defined as being salt of the earth, light to the world, and a lamp placed on a lamp stand.
First of all, Christians are to be the salt of the earth. We don’t know which aspect of salt Jesus was referring to in this analogy, but think about all the uses of salt. Salt preserves; salt flavors; salt cleanses; salt has value. Salt was even used in the Old Testament covenants made with God. In our dealings with those around us (even in the workplace), we must show compassion, respond to people in need, and be like "little Christs" to one another (Luther’s words). Our "saltiness", our "acts of faith" will minister to others. Whether you work in face-to-face customer contact or in data processing behind a desk all day, there are opportunities to do the best job we can, with the best attitude we can, with the greatest amount of integrity we can. When an opportunity arises to be a good listener, to forgive as God forgives, to show compassion as Jesus showed compassion, we can act as the salt we are, listening, forgiving, and showing compassion, as we are able. As Christians we should be preserving, flavoring, cleansing, valuable additions to the world around us, no matter whom we come in contact with.
Second of all, Christians are to be the light of the world. Or rather, we are to be the light that points to Jesus, the Light of the world. Light illuminates; light helps us see what’s really there; light allows us to see our way. If we Christians were living as light to the world, we would be illuminating the way for people who are in darkness. We would be telling people how following Jesus has illuminated our lives. We would be sharing our faith because this news is too good to keep to ourselves. "Workplace" evangelism is less than forcing your co-workers to be baptized on the spot, and more than just inviting a co-worker to a book club that meets at your church. The church’s service in the world is carried out through your hands and feet. When you tell someone about Jesus, the Light of the World, you are shining a light on their path that could bring them hope and joy and peace. We are to be little lights that point people to Jesus, the Light of the World.
Thirdly, Christians are a lamp, not hidden under a bushel, but on the lamp stand for all to see. Just as a lamp on a lampstand brings light to the whole house, we are told to let our light shine "so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven". Everything we do, we do to the glory of God. It goes beyond our own ability or reputation. What we do reflects on our heavenly Father. The way we carry out our jobs can give glory to God or cause God pain. It’s not as if your faith can be removed from your daily work. We cannot compartmentalize our faith into Sunday behaviors and Monday behaviors. The different roles in our life cannot be dissected out and parceled into this arena or that arena. Our work is, in a sense, a prayer to God. Hopefully, our work is meaningful and helps to accomplish God’s mission.
Brother Lawrence was a French monk who lived from 1611 to 1691. You might think that a man who was born nearly 400 years ago would have very little to say to today’s working people, but he had some great insights into our theme of ministry in daily life. Brother Lawrence (The Practice of the Presence of God, p. 81) wrote: "It is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God; when it is finished, if I have nothing to do, I prostrate myself on the ground and adore my God, who gave me the grace to make it, after which I arise, more content than a king. When I cannot do anything else, it is enough for me to have lifted a straw from the earth for the love of God. People seek for methods of learning to love God. They hope to arrive at it by I know not how many different practices; they take much trouble to remain in the presence of God in a quantity of ways. Is it not much shorter and more direct to do everything for the love of God, to make use of all the labors of one’s state in life to show Him that love, and to maintain His presence within us by this communion of our hearts with His? There is no finesse about it; one has only to do it generously and simply."
Can you give thanks for the grace to make breakfast in the morning? Can you devote your labors to accomplishing God’s mission - whether it be in the courtroom, on the computer, in the conference room, at the hospital bedside, in the classroom, or from the office? Can you find opportunities to minister to those around you who are in need in your daily life? Will you be God’s salt in the world: preserving, cleansing, and caring for those around you with compassion and concern? Will you live as the light on the world: illuminating, directing, and showing the way to Jesus? Will you live as a lamp on a lampstand, not hiding your light under a bushel, but holding it up for all to see, so that God may be glorified in all you do? I pray that our focus today may help you to see the connection between your work self and your faith self, because they are impossible to separate. May God’s glory shine through you as you seek to minister to all those who you see daily so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Amen.
