Jesu Juva
St. Matthew 5:13-16
February 5, 2023
Epiphany 5A
Dear saints of our Savior~
One of the big challenges for any preacher is to proclaim a message that’s meaningful for every hearer. Can both the widowed great-grandmother and the pre-schooler draw meaning and encouragement from the same sermon? Can both the teenagers and the baby boomers say about the preacher, “He was talking directly to me this morning?” Now, I feel fairly confident in my ability to preach to married men in their mid-fifties with graying hair who use reading glasses. But what about the other ninety-eight percent of you? Will what I say make any sense to you?
Today the answer is “yes,” thanks to Jesus. His Words for today are among the most enlightening and empowering words He ever spoke. No one gets left out or left behind today. These words of Jesus apply to you—whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever your age or sex. If you live and breathe as one of God’s blessed and baptized children, then hear this: You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world. . . . Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
These declarations from Jesus are aimed at you—at every believer. These words about salt and light come from the Sermon on the Mount. They come right after the introduction to that sermon, which we know as the beatitudes. The beatitudes declare that although you may be poor and persecuted—yet in Jesus Christ, you are blessed. “Blessed are you,” Jesus declares. “Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” You have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You draw your life from His life. And therefore you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
And please, please, notice the present tense: You are salt. You are light. This isn’t a demand or a command to be something you’re not. It’s not an order to try harder. It’s not a decree to work your way up from bench-warmer to junior varsity to varsity. With these words Jesus has made you a top tier starting player for the kingdom of heaven. And by “you” I mean “you plural,” all of you—from newborns to ninety-somethings!
This gets demonstrated at the conclusion of every baptism. You’ve seen it
Salt and light are metaphors—incredibly meaningful metaphors that tell us who we are in Christ. Jesus’ followers knew that salt was valuable and useful. They knew that salt was regularly used for seasoning, for flavoring, for preserving. And, if Jerusalem ever had a winter like this one, they would know that salt is used for melting. In Milwaukee more salt gets used on streets and sidewalks than on steaks and margaritas. You’ve got salt on the soles of your shoes as I speak.
The point is you are salt. You are the light. Because you follow Jesus in faith, you spice up this flavorless, bland world. You bring light to this dim and dark world. You make a critical difference in how this world turns. But you do this critical work in the most ordinary ways. When Jesus says, “Let your light shine,” He’s not telling you to go around with a big smile on your face all the time—or even to be happy and nice and polite. This world doesn’t need sweetening as much as it needs salt and light. And you are never saltier—you never shine brighter—than when you give yourself completely and fully to the work of your vocations. And just so I don’t confuse my pre-school listeners with big words, let’s make it simple. Your “vocations” are the jobs Jesus gives you. Your vocations are the jobs Jesus gives you to do.
Everyone has vocations—jobs from Jesus. If you are a pre-schooler then your vocations are to honor your parents and teachers, to be a good friend and helper. What are your jobs from Jesus? Do you have a spouse to love and honor? An employer who needs your wisdom and skill? Is there a neighbor you need to look after? Do you have children or grandchildren who need your love, your understanding, your sacrifice, your encouragement? All of you have brothers and sisters in Christ right here in this fellowship who need your prayers and hard work, your time, treasure and talent. In these jobs from Jesus you are made to be salt and light. You make an eternal difference daily by doing the jobs that you are called to do.
Of course, we get it wrong. Our perspective is completely skewed. We think that the ordinary work of our vocations is meaningless drudgery. We think that if we’re not making headlines and getting applause and doing extraordinary things, then we’re somehow failing. But I’m here to tell you that you are salt and you are light when you put everything you have into doing the very ordinary work that God has assigned you. What will hold true for next Sunday’s Super Bowl also holds true for you and me: in our vocations, it’s not about making the top ten highlight reel. No, it’s the fundamentals—the ordinary and the routine—that make all the difference.
Our work as salt and light couldn’t be simpler. Yet how often we flub the fundamentals. How often we blow the basics. Our most epic fails occur when we forget. And we forget far too often. We forget who we are—that we are salt and light used by the Lord to make a difference in this world for eternity. We forget that we are baptized—we develop baptismal amnesia.
Instead of letting our light shine—we become “chameleon Christians.” We settle for just blending in with the dismal, dying world around us. We go along with the crowd and just do what everybody else is doing. We sin; and in so doing we assume a false identity. We become something we are not designed to be. When you cheat to get better scores and grades—that’s not who you are. When you seek sexual satisfaction outside the bounds of wedded love and faithfulness—that’s not who you are. When you delight in drunkenness and willingly surrender all self-control—that’s not who you are. When you despise your parents—when you seek your own pleasure and comfort above all else—that’s not you! For Jesus Christ declares that in Him you are the salt of the earth—the light of the world. You are baptized!
And all that you are is a gift from Jesus—God of God, light of light. Jesus knows all about vocation. Jesus was and is God, but Jesus also had a job to do—a job no one else could do. Jesus had to change the trajectory of the world—had to change your hell-bent trajectory. If He fumbled or failed, all would be lost, including you. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven. For us and for our salvation He became man—was crucified, died, and was buried. For us and for our salvation He lived a perfect life of obedience. His righteousness exceeded even that of the scribes and Pharisees. He was the righteousness of God. He kept the Law perfectly—every last iota.
And wonder of wonders, He gives away that perfect righteousness to you. He gives you the credit for something He did. That’s how you have come to be salt and light. It’s not by what you do; it’s by what He did—and still does—for you. As you eat and drink His body and blood, He puts His life into your life. You are baptized to live each day beneath the umbrella of God’s grace, through faith in Jesus. And under that grace you cannot fail.
Under that grace you can be the person you have been baptized to be—a person so valuable to God’s team that He gave up His one and only Son to be crucified in your place, to save you from your sins. Be who you are in Christ. Live as the person you have been baptized to be. Let your light shine so that others can see the Savior and give glory to your Father in heaven.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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