Let It Shine

Matthew 5:13–16 NET

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.

Matthew 51;13-16

Today, salt it is pretty much just used as a flavoring, because humans really like salty things. But its main job for centuries was as a preservative. Salt kept meat from rotting. Salt was also not always well-refined. It was impure - basically rocks with sodium chloride deposits in them. Salt could be reused, but eventually all the NaCl would be leached out, at which point it was just a flavorless rock.

Today, salt it is pretty much just used as a flavoring, because humans really like salty things. But its main job for centuries was as a preservative. Salt kept meat from rotting. Salt was also not always well-refined. It was impure - basically rocks with sodium chloride deposits in them. Salt could be reused, but eventually all the NaCl would be leached out, at which point it was just a flavorless rock.

When Jesus declares his followers to be “The salt of the earth,” and cautions them against losing their flavor, he’s giving them two challenges: First, to be the mechanism by which the world is preserved. Be the goodness which keeps rottenness and decay at bay. Second, to stay faithful to his teachings even as they live and work in an environment which would suck them out.

Committed Christians today know something about this. Half of are busy hiding out in holy huddles, trying to keep the taint of the world from making contact with them, or worse, their children. They’ve stayed salty, but they’re not doing much preserving of anything other than more salt.

The other half are doing everything they can to be the preservative Jesus called us to be, but are finding themselves unequipped for the task. Leached of their essence, and discouraged beyond measure, they come closer every day to giving up on the mission Jesus offered.

Similar things could be said of light. As Jesus is saying this, light is a precious commodity at night. Lamps offer the ability to see, as well as a degree of warmth, but they are expensive to run, requiring the frequent addition of oil, and their light is dim, requiring a good placement in the room. If a lamp is emptied of its oil, or hidden from view, its not doing its job. So too, disciples of Christ have a duty both to stay lit - that is, stay committed to following Jesus - and to stay visible - that is, to let others see us as we do so.

This is probably the hardest part of discipleship for many of us. When we began this series, the ask was fairly easy - develop a good foundation for what it means to be Christian by being willing to ask about your life, “Does It Glorify God?”

Then it got a little harder. In order to be better equipped to ask “Does It Glorify God?” You had to become good dirt - to become a learner of Jesus’ teachings, ready to have those teachings take root in your life and transform you.

But now… Well, now you’ve got to do the toughest thing of all. You have to ask “Does It Glorify God” when others are watching. If the first two weeks were about becoming salty, this one is about fulfilling the function of salt. If they were about filling your lamp with oil, this is about lighting it and placing it where all will see.

We’re in dangerous territory here. We’re very close to that dreaded “e word.” Evangelism. I mean, this is supposed to be a discipleship sermon series, right? That’s got nothing to do with evangelism, right? Right?

Fear not, my friends, I’m not asking you to go door to door to find out whether your friends and family members have found Jesus. I don’t intend to teach you the four spiritual laws, or how to lead someone along the Roman Road, or even how to create an Evangelism Explosion. Nevertheless, it’s hard to Glorify God in your life if you’re not ready to do so in front of others - unless you plan to be a hermit, of course. And when you Glorify God in front of others, you are doing the work of Evangelism - which is just Greek for “sharing good news.” That good news being that Jesus invites us into a life of giving glory to God.

In the book which this series is based on, Rev. Heath compares evangelism to Twelve Step programs. No, not because most New England congregationalists identify as “Recovering Catholics.” But because the model for the spread of Twelve Step programs is very similar to how evangelism ought to work. Twelve Step programs do not invest money into promotion in hopes that they will grow. They do not put together slick marketing campaigns explaining why everybody ought to be in a Twelve Step program. Instead, they grow because their members benefit from them, and want to share that benefit with others who might need it. That’s the work of evangelism: It begins with living an authentic life which offers glory to God. And then, when others see you and want to know how you did it, or when you see others in need of what you have, you simply share the good news. As one preacher put it, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where he found the bread.”

When you let your light shine, people will want to know where you found the fuel. Don’t respond by hiding your light. Show them how you glorify God, so that they might join you, and you might shine brighter together.

Flower Pots - a sturdy foundation, good soil, add light, this seed will grow, reminding you to ask DIGG