10am HC Sunday 5 Feb 2017

St Mary Magdalene Wandsworth Common

Matthew 5:13-20 Getting the horse before the cart.

PRAY:

In the story of the ugly duckling, a bullied frightened young bird hides away from the world. But one day a beautiful flock of swans land near his hiding place and declare that this bird is the most stunning swan they have ever seen.

At first the ugly duckling doesn’t believe them. But eventually he sees himself as they see him. He does have along neck and a fine beak, he does have strong black feet and those snow white feathers. Yes, they have seen and named what he could not. “He’s a very fine swan indeed.” And now, rather than hiding in the reeds full of shame and fear, he is going to live out his life as a swan. He assumes his real identity and flies away with the flock.

“You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” Says Jesus in our reading today.

Like the swans in the fairy tale, Jesus is talking to some who are reluctant to hear this. Jesus knows our insecurities and our fears about our inner life.Jesus knows that we are often in the reeds still convinced that we are ugly ducklings. And yet still Jesus says, “You are the salt of the Earth. You are the light of the world.”

So what does He mean?

Well salt is salty. It just is. You cannot have flavorless salt. And its purpose comes from its identity. Salt is for giving salty flavor and for preserving by salting.

The identity of salt is being salty and salt has a useful distinctive purpose beyond itself based on this identity.

Light is similar. Light is identified by being visibly, light. You cannot have invisible light or light that does not shine in the darkness. That is just not possible. Light is light because it shines in the darkness. So the usefulness of light is to help people who would otherwise be lost or hurt in the dark. The identity of light is light and it has a useful distinctive purpose beyond itself based on that identity.

Jesus is calling His followers Salt and light because He wants us, His disciples to know that:

  1. We have an identity
  2. We have a purpose beyond ourselves.

The church, the people of God, Jesus’s disciples whatever label you like to use is a distinct flavour in our communities. We are discernable in the mix and we enhance the lives of others. In addition, just by being disciples of Jesus and knowing that identity we prevent and slow decay in society. That’ssalt’s identity and purpose, and we are salt, Jesus says.

We also shine and illuminate and particularly point the way to The Ultimate Light of the World, Jesus Himself. Like smaller torches on steps that lead up to the Olympic caldron, we light the way and point the way to a greater light. But we are still lights doing the thing that only light can do. That is our identity and purpose.

But take a moment to think this through as it offends our self-sufficiency. So often we imagine that if we do something then we will be “good Christians.” But we have things around the wrong way. That fairy tale swan was always a swan. But he only acted like a swan when his true identity was pointed out to him. He didn’t become a swan by effort or practice. He was a swan, and eventually had to start living like one.

Like him, we do not become Jesus’s followers, beloved of God by effort or practice. There is a worship song I love that goes “You’re a good good father, it’s who you are and I’m loved by you, it’s who I am.” In other words, I am identified first and foremost by who God is and by how God sees me. God is a good Father. And I am loved by God. It’s who I am. It’s who you are.

So where does the flavoring and the shining come in?

They are out workings. Salt will be salty. Light will be lighty. Disciples of Christ will be Christ-like. We will love, we will serve, we will forgive and welcome and hope and laugh and play and accept false judgment because in our DNA we are Christ-like.

Of course we are not perfect. Unlike Jesus who even in His full humanity was able to live selflessly and perfectly, we all sin. That means we put ourselves before each other and before God. We do not love our neighbour as ourselves. We become like tasteless salt and invisible light – that thing which we were never meant to be.

But there is always hope and always forgivenessbecause there is that huge caldron of light; Jesus Himself.

I wonder if Jesus’sdisciples remembered His words recorded here by Matthew when they saw him lifted up high on a cross just outside the city on a Hill. I wonder if through the horror any of them could see that this was the moment when the true light of the world was set up to shine His light for the whole world and even thought the forces of power thought they had extinguished that light and laid only a snuffed out wick in a tomb, the light rose up again with a new dawn to give glory to God who never gives up, and never leaves His people. I wonder if they saw that Jesus on the cross was the lamp on a lampstand which was needed in order to receive the life that God wants for us at such a huge cost to himself? If they did not, we can and stand in awe of all that Jesus has done for us by taking our place of shame in return for His place as a son of God. Because of the cross, it is who we are when we accept the invitation God offers us

But even then, we sneak back to the reeds time after time. We try to live limited lives sticking to petty rules whilst turning our backs on thosenear and far who cry out for help. We live as if we are isolated and fearful. But Jesus, the light that never goes out, tells us who we really are. We are His people. Loved by the Father. Set up to be distinctive and for a purpose that is vital to the whole world. We are loved and set free and beautiful, whatever we look like and wherever we are hiding. And our purpose comes out of that identity. It is to be a gift of God to the world around us. It is to help season it and point it to the love of God that we ourselves have received for free.

So what can we do dear salt and light, this week in response to what we have heard?

Try 3 simple things this week:

1.Thank God for making you salt and lightand say sorry if you feel you have been hiding in the reeds acting like a duckling.

  1. Ask God to tell you more about how God sees you. And listen for the reply.
  2. Tell someone else what difference that has made to you.

AMEN

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