Stay Salty, a sermon based on Matthew 5:13-20

 A Sermon for First Baptist Church Austin

February 5, 2023

Matthew 5:13-20

Photo by Jason Tuinstra on Unsplash

Stay Salty

I have spent days reflecting on the privilege and burden a preacher has to address her congregation in the midst of all that happened this past week.   What do you say when so many people in the congregation didn’t have power for days, including at my own house? How will anyone receive your words?  

This past week’s winter ice storm has us relieving the trauma from 2021’s epic storm….and it’s a lot for anyone to endure.  Whether or not you were affected by last week’s storm, I want to acknowledge that we are all here this morning having experienced that collective experience. 

This is a safe space.  A place where you are allowed to feel your emotions.  A place where you can sit quietly and cry if you need to.  A place where you can gather strength from your community around you.  You have permission to process how you feel you need to. But first, let’s take a few deep breaths to center ourselves, knowing that we are carrying so much.

When we read this Scripture alone and out of context, it can get really convoluted. It’s like when your friend sends you screen shots of her conversation with another friend and you’re trying to make sense of it all. Which text bubble is which? Who is she talking about? 

Or when you were 10 and you picked up the corded phone in the kitchen to call your bestie only to discover your mom was on the line with someone else. Her voice sounds serious, secretive. You listen in for a few minutes, trying to figure out what they are talking about.  You start drawing conclusions based on the little you are hearing.

Coming in the middle of a conversation without any knowledge of the context tends to lead to misguided conclusions.  It’s easy to pull this morning’s text out of the larger scope of the passage. It’s a familiar text.  One we’ve likely memorized at some point in our lives.  Or one that was used by a youth pastor to motivate you to go out and evangelize your high school. 

So let’s look at the larger picture of what Jesus is up to as we think about this morning’s scripture passage.

Remember that Jesus is traveling throughout Galilee and teaching in the synagogues. He is performing miracles of healing and word is traveling fast.  Crowds are forming. Jesus retreats to the mountains with his disciples to get a break from the crowds.  Doesn’t Jesus have great boundaries? I am always amazed at Jesus’ ability to pull away from a task knowing that he needs to rest and regenerate in order to continue to do the work he is called to. May we learn to be more like Jesus in this way. 

As Jesus is alone with his closest friends in these quiet moments away from the crowds, Jesus proclaims the counterintuitive truth that we know as the Beatitudes- Blessed are the people who are hopeless, humble, grieving, hungry, merciful, peaceful.  Jesus is reminding the disciples of what is already true, that they are already blessed by God.  He is expressing what is already true about the Christian community, and not necessarily a nod to an individualist checklist of how to behave as a Christian. 

Jesus continues, 

You are the salt of the earth.  

Where the English translation misguides us is in the use of the word, “YOU.” English doesn’t have a proper way to pluralize the word “you” outside of the word “yall” which I vote needs to be added into the book of acceptable and appropriate pronouns. When Jesus is speaking, he is addressing the disciples. The 12 of them.  So really, to be true to the text, our translations should say, “yall are the salt of the earth. yall are the light of the world.”  If it helps you remember, you can even imagine Jesus saying it wearing a hat and cowboy boots.  

These words of Jesus must be understood in that context, that he is speaking to a tight-nit community of people- these men who are engaged in daily life with each other….who support each other….who do life together as Christ’s disciples.  Their identity is wrapped up in being a community of followers of Jesus. They are who they are because Jesus has called them his disciples, not because they have some sort of matching qualities or meet a check list of potential for being a disciple. This is what they were designed to do. For us as modern day Christians, the same is true- God has created us to follow Jesus in a community setting, not turn it into a religion that is purely personal and private.

As a reader of the gospels when we read Jesus’ words, we have to understand that the challenge here isn’t to try harder to be salt for the world. This isn’t a goal for us to strive for. But rather, it’s a statement about our identity as Christ followers. We ARE salt. It’s who we were born to be. Salt has no choice but to be salty. But no one individual grain of salt is sufficient alone. Salt is most effective when it supports the other flavors in a dish. Never the star, always the background dancer bringing your attention to the main event. 

Salt is one of the only elements that is most effective when it works in tandem with other elements.  Think sea salt and chocolate. Or salted butter on popcorn. Have you ever tried salt on watermelon? Or sprinkled salt on top of chocolate chip cookies? (Chef’s kiss) The mix of salty and sweet is delightful.  It brings out flavors and nuances in food that are undetectable without its presence. In the right quantity, salt enhances a dish. And a little goes a long way with salt.

On the contrary, have you ever tried a dish that lacked salt? Bland, one dimensional, inedible. A sign of an inexperienced, rushed, or neglectful chef. 

 Even in the smallest amounts, the addition or the absence of salt can make a huge difference in the taste experience. 

Growing up, we had a running joke about the time my dad decided to make a side of white rice with dinner.  If you don’t know, making rice is relatively simple.  All you have to do is bring water to a boil, add rice and salt, stir, and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Fluff with a fork. 

  When we sat down for dinner and took our first bite of rice, we immediately spit it out. It was way too salty! My dad was shocked, thinking we were joking and insulting his cooking skills. But as he took a bite to test it, he realized his grave mistake. Instead of one teaspoon of salt, he put one tablespoon of salt. In a pot of rice, the extra dose of salt rendered the rice completely inedible. The sodium burned our  tongues with it potency. 

Salt has such an important role in the way we experience the taste of our food, that in the smallest error in its addition, we alter its palatability.

We all have an appetite for salt. It’s essential for human life.  It’s the only trace mineral found in every single cell in the human body. It has so many healing properties as well. When you have a sore throat, you can gargle with saltwater to help reduce inflammation.  Salt can be restorative too. After a long run, I often take a warm bath with epsom salt to reduce muscle cramps and fatigue.  We can’t live without salt. And I think that’s why Jesus’ metaphor is so powerful for our role as Christians in the world- as salt, we have the power to heal and restore the world. We can bring love to the hurting, show kindness to the brokenhearted, extend hospitality to those in need. As salt, we can help bring out the best in other people. 

Continuing with more metaophors, Jesus uses another metaphor to describe the identity of the Christ following community- light. “Yall are the light of the world.”  Light has one purpose: to illuminat3e something that is poorly illuminated, something many of us have a new appreciation for, being without electricity for so long. Light has been a precious commodity for many of us.  But like salt, light is necessary for our planet’s survival.  Sunlight is synthesized by plants and other organisms and turned into food for sustenance. And as you know, plants produce oxygen in the process, which is essential for human life.  Light is life. 

Light is meant for shinning. You wouldn’t turn on a lamp and immediately cover it with a blanket. It has a purpose- to shine. It is meant to be a tool to find your way in darkness, to uncover truths hidden in unlit places, to alert or act as a signal to another party.  A beacon of light from a lighthouse helps ships navigate around a dangerous obstacle. And to be seen, a light doesn’t have to be super strong either. 

Astronomers from Texas A&M University put the human eye to the test to see how far the naked eye could detect a candle flame. They found that the human eye can see a single candle as far as 1.6 miles away.  And the deeper the darkness, the easier it is to see a single light.  Proof that darkness cannot over come the light. It only enhances it. 

God has made each and every one of us as a small thing that has a really big purpose for the world. We are salt and we are light.  It is who we are and we are called to claim it and embrace it.  Jesus isn’t telling us to work harder to be saltier or brighter here.  Jesus isn’t giving his disciples another role to play, but rather reminding them of who they were created to be. We are who we are, wonderfully and beautifully made in God’s image and we are called to allow our core essence to flow into the world. Each of us makes up an important part of the whole, with different roles in the redemption of creation. And to top it all off, Jesus calls us blessed! We already have God’s blessing! There’s no need to try and change yourself into something different. 

So who are you? What gifts has God given you already that enhance this world? In what ways are you shining your light into the darkness of this world? How are you bringing out the best in other people? How are you a beacon of hope to a broken and hurting world?

I’ve been a part of this community of faith for 14 years now, and I have experienced the ways you all have been a spark of light or a pinch of salt, to the people of this community and the community in which you live. 

You are passionate about the dignity of another person’s story, always fighting for the right for others to have a seat at the table.  You make your voices known at the state and US capitol as you lobby for more inclusive legislation for all people. You use your hands to build homes for people who have none. You cook meals for families that would otherwise go hungry.  You open your homes for friends who need a place to get warm and take a hot shower. You visit the sick in the hospital.  You take flowers to the lonely. You listen to each other’s burdens. You show up at kid’s orchestra concert and band competition. You are the salt and the light in this world that needs you. The people of First Austin are the salt and the light.  You are blessed by God. 

You may have noticed a post-it note in your bulletin this morning. For the next few moments,  let’s name who we are, what our gifts are. Write down how you are salt and light to the world.  What gifts has God given you that you are called to use to bless the world? You may want to write one word, or a few sentences.  Take a moment now to write on your post-it.  This community of faith, our collective christian community is here to use our gifts to bless the world.  May you go and be salt and light, living out your gifts to better the world. Amen.