“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on your stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16
These verses are about goodness. We are made in the image of God, and so, as God is good, so are we. Jesus uses the metaphors of salt and light, which makes food taste good and enables us to see good, to instruct us in being purveyors and communicators of our inherent goodness. We are agents of God in the world. God is known not only by His creation and His Word, but by His followers. If we are not faithful witnesses to God’s goodness, His Kingdom is darkened.
Our pastor has exhorted us to be salt and light to the world. He has challenged us to be intentional in inviting people to come to church with us. Not just friends and neighbors, but mere acquaintances and complete strangers alike. Not just one or two, but at least 5 a week. “They” say it takes about 7 weeks of repeating a behavior to make it a habit, so don’t make this a one-week or one-month deal.
As a Christian, not inviting people to church is like being a light and hiding under a bowl. Not telling people about what it’s like to walk with God is like being salt but not tasting salty. Remember that you are salt and light. You are the goodness of God wrapped up in yourself. Don’t keep it wrapped up.
Being good is not just being nice. In Isaiah 1:16-17, the Lord says, “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight. Cease to do evil. Learn to do good. Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.” Doing good is more than just being kind and generous; it also requires speaking out and standing firm when evil raises its ugly head and threatens to harm or take advantage of those who cannot stand up for themselves.
Remember the famous quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” That’s the crux of Jesus’ message in Matthew 5:13-16. If we aren’t good, then we are good for nothing, and we will be trampled by the world, by those whose who are blind to God’s presence. God’s goodness is seen in His son, Jesus Christ, and in Jesus’ faithful disciples. Our goodness is unseen if it is not put into practice.
Thomas Keating, the Cistercian monk behind the Centering Prayer movement, puts it this way: “The fundamental goodness of human nature, like the mystery of the Trinity, Grace, and Incarnation, is an essential element of the Christian faith. This basic core of goodness is capable of unlimited development, indeed, of becoming transformed into Christ and deified. Our basic core of goodness is our true Self. Its center of gravity is God. The acceptance of our basic goodness is a quantum leap in the spiritual journey.”
You are a lamp. Take it out of its box and plug it in. Turn it on and remove the lamp shade. Let your light be bright and shine in all directions!
You are a salt shaker. Wipe the crud off the top and throw in some rice to soak up any unwanted moisture. Shake your shaker vigorously and let your salt flow freely and generously!
For goodness’ sake, be salty and bright!
Doug