We are?

 

Matthew 5:13-20

 And the sermon goes on for Jesus’ Disciples.

 You are the salt of the earth.  Salt preserves and flavors.  Salt is in our bodies, in our blood, sweat and tears.  It is a part of it.  Without salt, there is no life. 

 Salt preserves life.  In a time of no refrigeration, such as the Roman empire, even by 200 BC, salt was used to preserve meats and fish.  If the meat is not preserved in the desert, it is no good for anyone.  To eat old meat without it being preserved by salt was a dangerous thing to do.  It could threaten lives.  As followers of Jesus, we are to be about the business of preserving lives.  It is not just about pie in the sky when we die.  It is about life here and now, in this part of God’s Kin-dom.  People are to have a sense of well-being in life, according to God’s Will, and the followers of Jesus are supposed to work toward the preservation of life and life abundant, not just life forever.  Without the salt of the earth, the lives of God’s children will be lost.  When disciples stop having the properties necessary to preserve lives now, then we are worthless.  Then we are replaced.  When the church stops being about preserving lives here and now, in this part of God’s Kin-dom, it is worthless and is replaced by God.

 Salt flavors the whole.  It is not the main course.  Salt is not meant to take the place of the main course, but rather to change its flavor.  Too much salt, and the main course is ruined.  Too little salt, and salt is useless, as it does not improve its flavor, especially if that flavor was in question because the meat was old in an age of no refrigeration.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to address society with the Good News of agaph, and not reflect it because our presence cannot be sensed.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to transform society by being different from it, and not take its place with the same kind of heavy-handed, coercive, intolerant, exclusive and selfish ways.  When the church stops addressing society and starts replacing the main body of it with our own corruptions, we are worthless to the Kin-dom and replaced. 

 Light exposes the things that lie in the darkness.  Light changes the environment to make it possible for God’s children to navigate the world without stumbling around in the darkness.  Light allows God’s children to change those dangerous, obscured forces lurking in the darkness because they are seen for what they are in this part of God’s Kin-dom, here and now.  If the light that the church reflects from God in the world is obscured, it does not do the work of God in the world. 

 Light illumines the way for God’s children.  Light shows us the right path as it exposes the pitfalls, so that we can understand our surroundings and thus navigate this life together in God’s Way.  If the light that God has put within us is hidden, we may find ourselves on paths that do not lead to faithfulness to God or help others to find it.  We must light up the world with Jesus’ love, so that others may see God’s Way for them.

 Jesus then cautioned His disciples against believing that there is no longer any law.  Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets in agaph, His commandment.  It is not a suggestion or nice idea.  It is commanded.  This active commitment on behalf of others is to be followed for any who would be faithful to God.  Ours is not to be an appearance of faithfulness, but a real faithfulness built on committed action on behalf of God’s children, which is a real, tangible and transformative force in this part of God’s Kin-dom, here and now.  The commandments of Jesus call us to a higher standard than appearances, check lists, hierarchies of severity, abuses of power over the letter of the law or personal pieties toward personal salvation.  The commandments of Jesus in agaph re-order our hearts, lives and communities to be in alignment with God’s Will.  The commandments of Jesus are not warm, fuzzy feelings or general ideals to be considered, but serious business for those who would strive to be faithful to God.  As serious as God’s Kingdom come and God’s Will being done, as serious as calling out false teachers and as serious as sheep and goats.  The commandments of Jesus are not to be trivialized, for the importance of their impact is the preservation of lives, life abundant and life forever.

 This is the call to a different way of thinking and living.  It is the call to leave behind those things that keep the status quo of empire and engage in the force of agaph that transforms individual lives, communities and the world.  The followers of Jesus are being called out, to be ekklesia in the world and thus change it.  The current ways of empire are not sustainable for life, life abundant and life forever.  Our hope is in following the Way of Jesus in the living of agaph to repair the world from empire’s destruction and despair, and restore hope by restoring justice, equity, equality, generosity and kindness in a world that continues to choose otherwise.  We are the salt and the light needed in the world right now, that bring in God’s Kin-dom Way of love and life.