This week we
pick up on the second installment of The Sermon on the Mount. Last
week, the first part of the Sermon, in Matthew 5:1-12, was a
recitation of the Beatitudes. It is always worth re-reading and re-examining
what they mean to us individually. One way to approach them is as “Be
Attitudes” as there are blessings for each stage along our faith journey. With
an attitude of being Christ’s disciples, we aren’t seeking
fame and fortune or success by some earthly measure, but rather we change our
thinking, adjust our expectations of “life” for our brief sojourn on this
earthly plain. The readings appointed for this Sunday are a good primer on ways
to start to think again about how to live this human time as Jesus
wants.
Isaiah tells us that just showing up to do a few good acts and a bit of fasting
without the right intention isn’t enough, especially if we’re still pointing
fingers and judging others. God sees through our waving of hands and cries of
“Look at Me” when self-interest is our prime motivator in helping another. Paul
carries us along by saying that those who are not spiritually inclined don’t
care about what is or isn’t of God and are more likely to get caught up in
following the "wisdom" that is merely human. But, he says, that if we
truly seek the wisdom and spirit of God, we will be given more ways to
understand.
Jesus takes us further by
giving us a few particulars on the responsibilities of
discipleship. He starts by telling us we are the “salt of the earth.” Salt
in his time was a commodity of great importance far beyond a condiment, it was
currency. Soldiers’ wages were paid in salt ~ salarium in
Latin, from where we get the word salary. Everyone used salt as we use
money in our own time. If salt loses its taste, its value as currency drops; it
becomes worthless, good only to throw on the street. A serious financial
problem arises with tasteless salt ~ imagine your paycheck bouncing.
Today good salt enhances the flavors
of our food, and the yeast in bread will not rise without it. An appropriate
amount of salt is vital to our physical health in digestive and other body
processes. In being so identified as the salt of the earth, we are
called to realize our own worth and potential in God's sight and to let our
good works reflect the Glory of God as a pathway to eternal life.
Jesus also tells us we
are the light of the world, a light on the lampstand of life,
filling God’s House with spirit-filled light for everyone, unhidden as a
city built on a hill, reflecting and refracting God's glory through us
as a prism.
These rich images, along with the
blessings from the Beatitudes, are a guide for how we choose to live in
discipleship. Jesus is clear that he has come to fulfill, not abolish, the
Law of God ~ the Commandments ~ and that we are to follow even the
least of these to the letter and to teach others to do the
same. He doesn't think well of the scribes and Pharisees and
while we are challenged to go much farther, the bar is set rather low with them
as examples.
It is important to remember that Jesus gave
us this summary of the Law: You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your
neighbor as yourself [Matthew 22:37-39b]. If you live into this you
will have well fulfilled all the Commandments as God gave them to Moses.
Love God; Love your neighbor as yourself. After all, if you truly love God and
love your neighbor-as-yourself you won’t steal, kill, covet, commit, etc.
The as yourself part is a very specific clarification that
often goes unheard or dismissed. It is to love your neighbor as if your
neighbor is yourself; you are your neighbor/your neighbor is you. Not so
easy to dismiss one neighbor for another if it is dismissing yourself! Similarly
with the Lord’s Prayer, forgive us our sins/trespasses AS
[in the same exact way that] we forgive those who sin/trespass against
us. There’s something to ponder in lieu of merely rattling off those familiar
syllables unconsciously without consciously understanding what it is we are
saying/praying.
When we follow these instructions, we will
receive the blessings outlined in the Beatitudes and our light shall
rise in the darkness to shine God’s glory to others. Stay tuned, this
week was a mere introduction to the rest of the Sermon.
Let us go forth salt-y and
light-ed by, in, and with God's everlasting remembrance.
In the meantime,
let us look at another Summary of God’s wishes, this from John
Wesley:
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God of Power and Wisdom, infuse our souls with the deep
desire to move from the self-indulgence of limitless earthly distractions, to
being the upright salt of the earth, preserving and enhancing the freshness of
Christ’s call to a life of trust in You.
O Lord, our Guide
RESPONSE:
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
~ O God of Power and Wisdom, free us from fear and
trembling to be Your beacon as a city on a hill, shining Your Light in the
darkness. Let us lift our voices to implore all who lead governments on this
Planet, in this Country, and in our Community to be Just, Merciful, Compassionate,
and Honorable in their lives and work. We pray especially for: add your
own petitions
O Lord, our Guide
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
~ O God of Power and Wisdom, comfort the spirits of all who
are stricken with chronic illness, addiction, or desperation, and grant
strength to those who give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those
in need… add your own petitions
O Lord, our Guide
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
~ O God of Power and Wisdom, console those who grieve with new
or freshly remembered loss. May they know that those we love, now live again where
joy and peace abound forever with You. We pray especially for… add
your own petitions
O Lord, our Guide
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
~ O God of Power and Wisdom, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
O Lord, our Guide
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
~ O God of Power and Wisdom, grant delight in Your ways to those
who lead Your Church and minister in the name of Christ. Gift them with the
ability to teach us by word and example, and, shepherd our path to spiritual
discernment. We pray especially for: add
your own petitions
O Lord, our Guide
Keep
our hearts right and unafraid
The Celebrant adds: God of Abundant Love, we ask You to satisfy our needs and
strengthen us in parched places, that we may make each day of our lives
acceptable in Your sight, by radiating Your glory to others through our good
works. We ask through Jesus the Christ, our Lord of Glory; and the Holy Spirit,
Fount of Divine Wisdom; who together with You are One God, forever and ever.
Amen.
