Wonder

Salt and Light
“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. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it 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.
~ Matthew 5:13-16 (NRSVUE)

STORYBOOK: Maybe by Kobi Yamada

One of the most wonderful things about children is their imagination, isn’t it? They don’t carry around the baggage that most adults do, and they aren’t weighed down by constant worry and concern, so they can look at the world around them, the feelings within them, and the faith that holds them with a sense of curiosity, imagination, and joy.

Well, this fall we are all going to be Oldtown Explorers, and we’re going to use our curiosity and imagination to ask questions and learn more about our church, our faith, ourselves, and what it is that Jesus is calling us out into the world to do. Today’s scripture and storybook are giving us a little sneak peek as to what might be coming in a few weeks.

As many of you know, one of the things that I love the most about Jesus and his teaching is the way that he used everyday ordinary things to teach simple lessons. Jesus didn’t use anything flashy or fancy. He didn’t need to buy any resources or follow a curriculum. He just looked at the world around him and taught using examples from what he saw, making ordinary things extraordinary and secular everyday day things sacred. And that’s why some of the most sacred acts of our faith use simple things like bread, juice, water, and the hands, hearts, and voices of human beings. But sometimes, it takes looking at those ordinary things or at our everyday lives through a different lens and using our imagination and our faith to see them a little differently.

Now, from the outside, if you were to look at a group of kids, you might think they are doing ordinary things, like getting up, eating breakfast, coming to church or going to school, watching TV, playing, taking a bath, and going to bed. But inside the minds of those children, many of them are imagining that they are astronauts, scientists, princesses, ballerinas, firefighters, cowboys, doctors, and more. And they are not just walking down the street, or building with blocks, or riding their bike, no! They are saving the universe, building castles, fighting fire-breathing dragons, and feeding ice cream to unicorns.

Well, the good news today, my friends, is that the scripture reading that we just heard invites us to do the same! Okay, now maybe it didn’t say anything about building castles, fighting dragons, saving the universe, or feeding unicorns, but stick with me for just a minute! Because when you leave this sanctuary, you’re going to go back out into the world to do your ordinary, everyday things, like going grocery shopping, doing laundry, having dinner with family or friends, brushing your teeth, going to bed, and waking up again in the morning to go to work. And those are all good things. But Jesus invites us to wonder and to re-imagine our roles a little bit.

Sure, we’re going to continue doing our ordinary things, probably the same things as everyone around us is doing, but we’re going to do them with a secret, added, extraordinary role that may not be obvious at first. You see, we are so used to seeing ourselves and the things that we do as everyday and ordinary. But friends, don’t forget that each of us is made in the image of God. We are unique and one of a kind, filled with gifts and graces to share! Did you forget that part? And today, Jesus is telling us to take time to wonder and to reimagine our role in the world. Because you’re not just a worker of some kind or a professional, or a retiree, or a parent or a student or a child. NO! You’re something so much more!

Okay, I can hear what you are thinking: “So who am I? What is my role in the world?” Well, today’s scripture reading gave us two images. Do you remember what they were? If you need a little help, look at your bulletin cover. So what are they? Yes, salt and light. Okay, but what does salt and light mean? Well, salt, my goodness! Salt is a fascinating thing! It is far from ordinary, though. Because you see a saltshaker almost every time you sit down to eat, your mind might tell you that it is ordinary, but let’s wonder about salt for a minute.

Did you know that without electricity, salt can be used as a preservative to keep food safe to eat for a long time, even if you don’t have a refrigerator or a freezer? It also gives taste to food because sometimes food is so bland that it needs some salt to bring out its own natural flavor. And in the Hebrew Scriptures or the Oldtown Testament, there is something called “a covenant of salt.” Have you ever heard of that before?

Well, in Old Testament times, when two people or groups made a covenant or an agreement or a promise to each other, they would often sit down and eat a meal together. And they had a saying back then that said, “Now there is bread and salt between us,” meaning we have made a promise, and we have eaten together, so we are on the same page, and we don’t have to worry or argue about it anymore.

And folks, you may or may not know this, but as people of faith, we are a “covenant of salt” people, too, because we have a relationship with God, and “there is bread and salt between us.” that changes us from being everyday ordinary people to people who help preserve life, by loving and encouraging others. We add flavor to life by sharing joy, hope, and kindness, and we build relationships, putting bread and salt between us and our neighbors, whoever our neighbors might be. Can you imagine? And you thought you were just a worker of some kind or a professional, or a retiree, or a parent or a student or a child. And that was just the salt, my friends; what about when we also share light?

Well, as many of you know, when we live out our faith, and we humbly do acts of kindness, work for justice, and share empathy, mercy, and grace with others, we are filled with the light of Christ. And that light shines from us for the world to see whether we know it or not. But here’s the catch: we can’t just show kindness to the people who are kind to us. We must forgive those who hurt us, welcome those who are different than us, serve those who we might not think deserve it, and show mercy to those who might vote differently than us.

Folks, Jesus calls us to follow him because he wants us to flourish and thrive! He knows that we won’t be perfect, but with the gift of his grace, we’ll be different. And when we truly live lives of faith, being kind and forgiving, welcoming, serving, and showing mercy, the ordinary everyday things we do will be made new. They will become extraordinary, and they will sparkle and shine, not to call attention to us so that we can brag about it, but so that we can work to make our world a better place.

In our storybook today, you were reminded that you are the only you there has ever been, or there will ever be! And you hold within you a magical, unbound potential to do amazing things!

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead and out into God’s amazing creation, I would urge you to take some time to wonder and imagine how might you live your life differently so that the ordinary everyday things you do might truly become extraordinary as you share salt and light with the world, bringing the beauty and grace of the kingdom of heaven a little bit closer to Earth.

My friends, may it be so, thanks be to God, Amen!