“Salt and Light”
A sermon preached at Skipwith UMC
On February 9, 2014
William A James
Matthew 5:13-20
LIGHT is one of my favorite subjects! Since my heart surgery, SALT is one of my least
favorite subjects. Jesus talked of both more than once in order to make his point or as a clear
illustration to his listeners.
To be useful, salt must retain its saltiness. The salt that would have been available in Jesus’
time was not our refined table salt, but a coarse (surface mined) salt that would, over time
become useless. The people had (of course) discovered the usefulness of salt in preservation of
food and had also come to appreciate that salt added flavor to their food. But their salt was not
refined nor purified and was naturally mixed with other compounds. Some salt was “saltier”
than others. The more salty the salt was and remained, the more valuable it was. When Jesus
said, “You are salt of the earth”, he was saying that his followers must remain salty or they
would lose their usefulness. They must remain ‘genuine’ and not be filled with fillers and other
invaluable information. More is not better; to be authentic is better.
Likewise, light is of no use unless it can be seen! We are to let our light shine so that others
can see and be blessed by that light.
It was a dark place in Jerusalem at night. There was only natural light and, if the moon was
covered, you could see nothing. And to walk about at night was dangerous. Cities were often
built on hilltops so as to be seen from a distance. A traveler was happy when he could look up
and see the lights of a city on a hill.
In a typical home, there was one window and no other source of light except for a lamp.
You know what I’m talking about – not unlike a lantern or oil lamp we might use when the
power goes out. You have to light the wick, which is suspended into a bowl of oil. In Jesus’
time, to light a lamp was a lot of trouble. They didn’t have matches or “Zippos” like we do. So,
when a person left their house, they might leave the lamp lighted and place it under an ‘earthen’
vessel (that wouldn’t burn) until they came home. It had to be covered or risk everything
catching fire.
When Jesus said, “Don’t hide your light under a bushel”, they knew what he was talking
about.
Light is a good thing! The first thing God created (according to Genesis) was light. That
light can never be extinguished and darkness can never overcome it. We rely on light every
minute of every day.
A man once decided to measure which of his two children was worthy to inherit his
property. He gave each a coin and told them to buy something to “fill the house”.
The older, a son, bought straw but, when he came home, he didn’t have enough to cover the
floor. The younger child, a daughter, bought candles with her coin. When she came home she
lighted the candles and the house was filled with light. The father gave his property to his
daughter who had shown true wisdom.
Albert Einstein showed up at the institute where he worked one morning hobbling around
with a cane. It seems that during the night he had stubbed his big toe. “This has happened five
or six times before from walking around in the darkness”, he explained to his colleague. “The
only really annoying part of it is that every time it happens I have to have an x-ray taken to be
sure no bones are broken.”
His colleague asked if it wouldn’t save trouble to simply turn on a light.
“Oh”, said Einstein, “I never thought of that.”
The smartest man ever?? I think not…
We have been taught that the sun is the center of the solar system and thus is the light of the
world. The sun is 93,000,000 miles from earth. If a baby (could fly) and started flying to the sun
at birth and travel 150 miles per hour, this baby would be nearly 71 years old upon arrival.
We’re told that the diameter of the sun is 109 times that of earth. Its output of energy is 70,000
horsepower per sq. yd. per minute. The temperature at the sun’s surface is about 10,000
degrees Fahrenheit.
But the sun, despite its greatness, is NOT the Light of the world. Jesus Christ is the LIGHT
OF THE WORLD.
Our church does not exist to worship a great teacher or an awesome healer – we exist to
glorify the Son of the most high God, who has come into the world and has overcome the
darkness of sin and death. It is only when the light of Christ shines into our lives that our lives
have meaning and purpose.
The subject of light (as mentioned) is not new. Isaiah’s vision inspired John as John began
his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him
was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might
believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light
that enlightens every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was
made through him, yet the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people
received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to
become children of God”.
Later in John’s Gospel Jesus speaks to the people of his time and affirms John’s description.
“I am the light of the world,” he said. “He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have
the light of life” (John 8:12).
We are here – this church exists; and each of us are called to be ‘light in the world’.
Because of the light we shine, others can be exposed to the light of Christ. If our light is hidden
under a bushel, no one will see it or be influenced by it.
In our world, we hear much about communication. Without communication, trouble comes.
It is the single most important piece of doing business – whether it’s a small company offering
services or a nation in talks with an enemy nation; without good communication bad things
happen. In a marriage where there is open and real communication, there is hope for the
longevity of that union.
Albert Mehrabian gained fame for his study on the credibility of communication. He dealt
with the question: “What makes a person credible when they seek to communicate with
others?” he concluded that when we are speaking to someone else our body language accounts
for 55% of the message that the other person actually receives. Our tone of voice accounts for
38% of the message, and the actual words we use only account for 7% of the message the other
person actually receives.
In other words, Mehrabian’s study finds that our actions speak louder than our words. It’s
important that we talk about our faith, but it’s much more important that we live our faith.
That’s how our light shines in the world.
If you ever feel the need to defend your being a United Methodist, you can say that “while
others are talking, we are walking.”
The U.M. Church is actively living our faith all over the world. When there is a disaster, the
people of the United Methodist Church are first on the scene with food, water, and whatever
else is needed. We are quick to put our faith to work – for without works faith is dead.
What happens is this – when we seek to provide “light” to others, the light within us grows
in direct proportion. When you go on a mission trip, take meals to the hungry, provide clothing
for the homeless – and you feel good about yourself, that is the process at work. When we see
people around us, even in churches, experiencing such darkness in their lives, it’s because they
keep the light of Christ hidden – they tend to focus on their own needs rather than sharing the
light of Christ with others.
I can recall so many times when it was so clear that the best treatment for a person who was
hurting and calling out for help was for them to reach out to another and share the light. Don’t
misunderstand – just because something is right doesn’t mean that someone else will listen and
heed.
One night a man had car trouble and made it to a small garage. A mechanic there said there
was something going on with the engine and he would take a look. While he was looking under
the hood, his helper shined a powerful flashlight to help his boss find the trouble. The helper
was distracted by something and, as he turned away, so did the beam of light. Instead of losing
his patience, the mechanic looked up and said to the helper: “Shine your light! What are you
here for anyway?”
So what are we here for? Just to come to worship one day a week to satisfy the demands of
God? That’s not what following Jesus is about. We are the ones He has called to shine the light
of his love in a world filled with darkness.
In the early days of the railroad, a dangerous intersection had a crossing guard who was to
signal with a lantern when a train was coming. One night the guard fell asleep and woke up
when he heard the train coming. He ran out with his lantern only seconds before the train came.
There was a terrible crash. During an investigation the guard was asked: “Were you present on
your job? Did you have a lantern?” He answered yes to both and was not blamed for the
accident.
Later, he confessed: “No one asked me if my lantern was lit.”
Is your lantern lit? Do you have the light of Christ shining within your heart and soul? You
can’t give away what you don’t have. The light of Christ is in you! Are you shining your light
through acts of love?
Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world.” It’s an awesome responsibility AND an
awesome privilege.
Amen.