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“Armonia”

“Armonia”

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 February 8, 226: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen. You know, when I left Minneapolis and the -35 windchill weather, I did NOT remember packing that cold air to bring back to New Jersey. Lordy! I had hoped to leave that behind, but it is smacking us in the face now, isn’t it? I am glad to be inside this time, rather than out in it for hours marching down the street. I am also grateful to those of you who ventured out into this insane cold to be here this morning. Perhaps we all have a better appreciation for the people of Minneapolis and all they do in weather colder than this. So, given all the ice that is around these days, on the sidewalks and armed in the street of our cities, I was glad to hear the texts for today. In the gospel we are hearing part of the sermon on the mount. After the familiar “Blessed are those…” statements we call the beatitudes, Jesus then says “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. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” “You are the salt of the earth.” “You are the light of the world.” Well, that’s good news – considering both will melt ice (come to think of it – maybe that is an appropriate acronym then for that armed band of hate enforcers – it shows just how vulnerable they really are). But here’s the thing about this proclamation of Jesus…he isn’tinviting us to those things. He is telling us that we already ARE those things. This isn’t a choice folks. We are salt. We are light. Then he offers absurd comments about salt losing its saltiness and hiding a light under a bushel basket. Jesus did have a sense of humor, and clearly his sarcasm is showing here, because salt cannot lose its saltiness, and no one would put a basket over an open flame, which is what a light would be in those days. Both scenarios are ridiculous, but then again, Jesus wasn’t trying to offer a science or fire safety lesson. He is preaching and being a bit cheeky to make a point, as he sometimes does. So, what was Jesus trying to tell his followers – then and now? I am reminded of two sayings by the Buddha: “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” And, “There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” Some have suggested that Jesus studied Buddhist principles in India during his early adult life, but whether he did or he didn’t, he is certainly preaching them here. He wants humanity to understand a fundamental truth – our very essence – in the hope that we will honor that truth within ourselves, allowing God to shine in us and through us. We can turn away, we can forget, we can get lost…but the truth of who we are cannot be hidden – not to God anyway. And, as the Buddha says, the path to understanding that truth is only impossible if we don’t try, or we stop trying. But still, what does it mean for us to live this truth – what does that look like in our lives? Well, maybe we need to think about what salt and light do, particularly for those in the time of Jesus, to understand how important it is for us to be what we were born to be. The thing is, we are so far removed from what these things would have meant to the people in the Ancient Near East, that the meaning of Christ’s metaphor may be lost to us. We have refrigeration and electricity. But they did not. Salt was a way to preserve the life of meat and fish, and to enhance its flavor, and it was used in health regimens. It was so important to them that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt – hence the word we use today – salary – sal being the Latin for salt. And light – well, in these dark days of winter, even with our electricity, we can understand the value of that, but imagine living where there is no electric light. It is hard for us now, but if you think about it – in the long history of the world, there has been less than 150 years of light bulbs. In the time of Jesus, and up until 1880, there was the sun, and then there were oil lamps, candles, fires, moonlight, and torches for the night. Light then and now makes it possible to see dangers in the night, to keep warm, and to thrive, and without the light of the sun, life would be impossible. Jesus is telling us that we can enhance and preserve life and overcome darkness for the world. But note – not for ourselves alone. Salt’s very purpose is to enhance or preserve life. The purpose of light isn’t to shine for itself, but to illuminate other things, to dispel the darkness. If we are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world ...
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