Hide it Under a Bushel? No! – sermon on February 5, 2017
Matthew 5: 13-20 You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“But I tell you, unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!”
Sermon: Hide it Under a Bushel? No! by Rev. Doreen Oughton
This morning’s passage follows right on the heels of last week’s passage – the beatitudes, those provocative declarations of the ways God has blessed us – through grief and hunger and persecution, as well as through peacemaking. Jesus goes on here to call attention to the ways we are gifted by God in our very essence, and the purpose of those gifts. We have been made salt of the earth and light of the world. There is nothing we have to earn or change about ourselves. We are salt and light. God made us so – to add zest to life, to shine with God’s glory. Given that these are part of our essence, unless something is very wrong, we ought to see evidence of these things in our lives. So I invite you to think for a moment about how God has used you to be salt of the earth or a light to the world lately. Perhaps you included someone with you in bit of fun, or taught someone something. Perhaps you made someone laugh, or offered a word of hope to another. Our responsive reading lifted up many ways of being a light of the world, and hopefully some of those resonated with you.
So if we are already salt of the earth and light of the world, and there is nothing we have to do to become these things, what is the problem? Jesus talked about salt losing its flavor, and light being hidden under a bushel basket. I’m not sure how salt loses its flavor, but there is a message here about going with the flow and letting yourself be used the way you were meant to be used. Maybe we could say “if salt just stays in its shaker, what is it good for?”. The problem is that we resist it. We don’t sprinkle the salt or share the light. I think of how often we try to manage and conserve our resources, wanting to make sure we have enough for later; while God calls us to be used in the moment. God asks us to trust that there will be enough for us to draw on in our times of need. As Jesus said in the beautitudes, even in hard times, God is there, eager to bless us. We don’t need to conserve our salt and our light. We don’t have to hold back.
I believe God wants us to share our time, our thoughts, our skills, our passions, and our questions as well as our material resources. We don’t have to hide anything about us under a bushel basket. You may have heard this reflection by Marianne Williamson before, but it is worth repeating. She says: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It’s not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
I believe that Jesus was encouraging his disciples and encouraging us to claim this identity – this gift of being salt of the earth and light of the world. We are invited to see ourselves this way – blessed to be a blessing. Hopefully, as you are reminded of this week after week, the truth of it grows in you, that you see all around you ways to add zest, to bring out the flavors of the world; ways to shine the light of God’s glory. Because, mercy me, how this world needs it – how this world needs more of God’s zest and God’s light. The ways God uses us may seem small, but remember, that is how God so often works, throw small acts, through ordinary, imperfect people. Small acts such as sticking together and caring about each other even when our imperfections seem more glaring that God’s light. Small acts of breaking bread, drinking the cup and being the church even when our numbers are small and we wonder if anyone else at all can see our light.
These things matter, especially in times like these. Day after day we see it in the news, in social media, even in our families – division, mistrust, fear, defensiveness and hostility. And this is the case even among and between those who want very much to be used by God. This is the case even among and between people who all want to make a positive difference for themselves and others, whether in our homes, our churches, our communities, our nation or around the world. Because of course, people have different ideas about what it means add zest and shine light, what it means to make a positive difference. No one intends to, or believes they do, sow seeds of discord, or make the world less safe, or take food from the poor to give more to the wealthy, or erect barriers to a thriving economy.
Perhaps these gathered bodies called churches are being used as a light to the world. Many churches are quite homogenous in terms of culture, ethnicity, and economics, but there is often great diversity in political perspective, and some diversity in age and generational identity. When we act with mutual respect, show courage in sharing, maintain a willingness to see the loving intention of others even if we disagree with their conclusion or methods, we shine with God’s glory; we add a flavor that is zestier than what there would be if we all thought the same way.
Jesus goes on in this passage to talk about the purpose of the law. He clarifies that he has not come to do away with the law, but to fulfill its purpose. Everything in the law was put there to shape us and guide us and lead us to the kindom. The law is important, but it is not the end game. It is a bridge, not the destination. Jesus says that even the smallest detail of the law will not disappear until its purpose is achieved. What I get from that is that the law, small details and grand themes, will disappear once its purpose is achieved. Are the crutches needed after the legs are healed? Do you still need the GPS when you know the way by heart? But we are not there yet. We don’t know the way; the legs are not healed. And so we are called to obey the law, and to teach and encourage others to do likewise.
Now some might hear that last part – “unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” as a threat, but I don’t. I hear it as a caution – further encouragement about following the law, or medical advice, or a GPS instruction. If you have an injury and the good doctor says “if you try to ski while the leg is still healing, it will never heal properly” it is not a threat of punishment! If you say you want to go to NYC and you plan to head north on 95 into Maine, then west along the Canadian border, I tell you, you will not get to NYC. Jesus is saying if you reject the teachings of the law, and encourage others to do likewise, you are not headed to the kindom. You actually don’t know better than God how to live in community – the beloved Community. But we have been gifted with a map, a guide book, a GPS. It is the Word of God – the word written and the word incarnate. Let the Word live in you; and then go be salt and light. Add a zest that brings out more truth and beauty and justice; and let your light shine bright. May it be so.
