Saturday, February 4, 2023

Today’s Scripture Reading 
Matthew 5:13–20

“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (NRSV)

Reflection
Aspens swayed with the breeze; a nearby stream bubbled and babbled; scintillating conversation surrounded us. It was a “find yourself” summer retreat in the Rocky Mountains complete with 800-thread-count sheets and trout ceviche served in the white tablecloth restaurant. The retreat leader preached inner peace, personal truth, and being the master of your own domain.

Heaven? Far from it.

While a respite is always nice, God calls us to live in the real world. A world filled with grime, crime, and chaos. A world shared with others. A messy, messy world where it is necessary to find courage—and faith—to navigate the path of being part of a group and being an individual, living a life of knowledge and action.

“You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world,” Jesus preaches in Matthew.

Jesus tells us it is not enough to know about God. Knowledge of God, literally theology, does not get the job done. As disciples, we need to be the activity of God. We are to live as salt and light.

Knowledge without action perpetuates racism. Knowledge without action contributes to our silence about sexism. Knowledge without action continues the oppression of the poor, ostracization of the marginalized, and malnutrition of the hungry.

Jesus calls us to be God’s salt and light.

In Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem “What I Have Learned So Far,” she asks whether a person can be “passionate about the just, the ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit to no labor in its cause?”

Her answer: “Be ignited, or be gone.”

Prayer
Dear God, thank you for igniting each of us to be your “salt of the earth. . . . Light of the world.” Amen.

Written by Phil Calian, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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