I have visited Russia
three times now, and two of those visits were fairly long ones. During my first trip there,
I became acquainted with the two-headed eagle, a symbol of the Russian people.
What exactly that symbolism is depends on who you ask, but one common
interpretation is that one head of the eagle looks towards the past, while the
other looks towards the future. Certainly Russia is a country with deep roots
in its long history even while it is moving into the novelty of the future. The
text that I just read from the gospel of Matthew does something of the same
thing (Matthew 5:13-16). It affirms the value of the past even while it offers
advice for moving into the future. While these two short verses about salt and
light are frequently interpreted separately, I am convinced that Jesus meant for
us to understand them together. So let’s take a closer look at them.
Jesus begins by telling us that those who
follow him are the salt of the earth. These days, we use salt for flavoring.
Anyone who has ever eaten food with no salt knows that it can be pretty bland!
I seldom buy the cans of food that proclaim “no salt added,” even though I know
it’s healthier for me, because the food just doesn’t taste as good! In Jesus’
day, though, salt was a preservative; and one that was absolutely necessary.
People 2000 years ago didn’t have canned food, refrigerators, or Hostess Twinkies
that I’m told will keep for years in the pantry. What they did have, though, was
salt; and salt was the preservative that kept foods safe to eat during the long
periods of time when fresh food was unavailable. That gives a new twist to
Jesus’ claim that his followers are “the salt of the earth.” Jesus is asking us
to preserve what is valuable for the future! Of course, not everything is worth
preserving. In fact, some things are not only not worth preserving, they should
be thrown out with the trash! Some of those things are easy to identify. Religious
wars, slavery, discrimination against ethnic minorities – we all know that we
need to get rid of those! But other judgements aren’t so easy to make. What
wisdom that was offered in the past do we keep? What systems of government?
What social customs? Many familiar customs worked fine in the past, but don’t
work so well right now. We need to look carefully and critically at our history
to determine not only what was right and wrong, but also to determine what is still
useful; and what was, ultimately, a dead end. We need to sift through the past
as carefully as archaeologists sift through the soil at an excavation site.
Every archaeological dig has a sifter – or two
or three! The archaeologist who is removing the dirt will pour it onto a screen.
At a large dig, those screens can be as big as a screen door! Most of the dirt will
fall through the screen, while the larger items remain on top of the screen. Rocks
are easy to pick out; and most of them are thrown away. Other things, though,
that had been hidden in the dirt are worth keeping: a pottery shard, a fragment
of glass, maybe even a small piece of jewelry. Those things would never be
found if someone didn’t work hard to discover them. As Jesus calls us to
preserve what is good, we, too, should be carefully sifting through the past to
discern what is worth keeping and what should be discarded. It’s not an easy
process, nor is it quick; but it is absolutely necessary if we want to move
into the future preserving what is valuable. But how, you may ask, do we
discern what is worthwhile? The prophet Micah told us that answer over 2500
years ago: “God has told you humans what is good! What does the Lord require of
you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah
6:8)
Look to the past and preserve what is worth keeping. That’s the first
part of the teaching that Jesus offered to his followers; and if that part has
to do with the past, the second part has to do with the future. “You are the
light of the world,” Jesus said. “Don’t hide your light or use it only for yourself.
Set it up where others can see it, too!” We don’t need a light to illuminate
the past; we know what happened there! Oh, we may have to sift for quite a
while to find what has been hidden, but it will come out eventually. But the
future? We need a whole lot of light to get there safely! Some people will say
that we are groping in the dark as we move into the future; but I don’t think
that’s so. We have the light of Jesus Christ to guide us: the light of justice;
the light of mercy; the light of humility; and the light of love; and that
light will never be extinguished. Remember what the gospel of John says: “The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it.” (1:5)
Now, it’s true that the light of the gospel is sometimes dim. When we
stand up for justice, mercy, and love, we feel like we’re holding up a candle
in the pitch blackness of a cave! But let’s imagine those candles for just a
moment. In particular, let’s remember the candles that we light on Christmas
Eve. The sanctuary is pitch black, and the only light is the Christ candle
newly lighted on the altar. As we sing “Silent Night,” we each light our own
little candle. When the song is over, the church is filled with the light of
all those candles! When we each light our little lights and set them where they
can be seen, they offer more light than we would imagine. Now, you may be
thinking, “But I don’t have the answers to the problems of the world! How can I
hold up a light?” Relax; none of us have those answers – at least, not the
details. Those will appear as we struggle together to emerge into the full light
of justice, compassion, and love. Only God knows the details! We do know,
though, where the light is leading us: towards a world where everyone is loved
and cared for, where sharing is more powerful than greed, and where mercy is
the heart of justice. When we reflect the light of Christ, our little candles
are powerful indeed! Salt and light: that’s who we are, friends, as Christians.
Be salty and bright as we move into the future!
No comments:
Post a Comment