Knowing Who We Are
Rev. Lee Ann Bryce
Community Christian Church
February 6, 2011
Last week, worship focused around one of the most beloved passages of scripture, the opening section of what is called the Sermon on the Mount, Beatitudes, in which Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor, that those who mourn will be comforted and that the meek will inherit the earth. He said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, that the pure in heart will see God, and peacemakers will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. In the beatitudes Jesus says that these things will happen – someday, somewhere.
One thing for sure, it certainly hasn’t happened yet. In our world people are routinely persecuted for all sorts of things: for faith, for politics, for ethnic identity, for sexual orientation, for the color of their skin. In the beatitudes Matthew describes a different reality than we know – were those who morn are comforted, where the poor and the persecuted inherit riches and peace beyond their wildest dreams. He calls this kind of place the kingdom of heaven.
In his gospel, Matthew often uses this term, the kingdom of heaven. And sometimes we assume that he’s talking about some kind of kingdom in heaven, another world beyond death, an afterlife that is nothing like this life. He’s not. When Matthew says, kingdom of heaven, you can accurately substitute kingdom of God. You see, Matthew was merely using a common Jewish reverential practice of avoiding the word “God” as much as possible. So instead of saying God’s kingdom, Matthew says, the kingdom of heaven.
And the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven does not refer to an afterlife. Kingdom of heaven refers to the earth, right now. Just as it says in the Lord’s Prayer, on earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom of heaven is about the transformation of life in this world. How is the transformation of life in this world to take place? When will this happen?
And as we continue reading in Matthew chapter 5, we begin to see Jesus’ idea of how God’s kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” unfolds.
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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
Here Jesus uses two common, everyday images to tell his disciples who they are. And we, right along with that crowd who heard the Sermon on the Mount, listen to hear that we, too, are “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world.” And while Jesus is telling us who we are, his use of the metaphors salt and light, are really much more about what we do and how we do it, the effect of what we do in the world. Salt and light make a difference. Have you ever tasted something when you’re cooking that seemed bland, but then you added a few shakes of salt and the taste changed completely? Or have you walked in a darkened room and lit just a single candle, then waited for a moment for your eyes to adjust to see the entire room illuminated?
We are salt and light. Salt that isn’t salty isn’t much good for anything. Light that is cloaked or covered; that is not permitted to shine, is useless. Who we are is shown by what we do. Like salt and light, we are to be agents of change. And the gospel clarifies what this means. We are to disorder the status quo by valuing those who are dispossessed, caring for those who suffer loss, seeking to do justice, showing mercy, having integrity, being peacemakers, and courageously standing for what we believe.
I recently made the acquaintance of a new friend, someone I’d like to tell you a bit about. His name is Bruce Pollock and he’s in worship today. I guess you could say he’s a pretty salty guy.
(Which is interesting to use a gospel metaphor for him because Bruce, actually is Jewish. Of course, the Torah of Moses and the torah of Jesus, who was himself Jewish, agree on the core message that we are all to be agents of change in our world.)
Bruce wrote a letter to the editor in City News about his work that caught Lisa’s eye, leading to the three of us getting together to learn more about what Bruce is doing to improve education right here in Rochester. We’ve all heard the statistics about student performance in our city schools. Only 46% of students graduate which is on the one hand shocking and on the other hand, not surprising at all, given that only 28% of elementary children passed the State English Language Arts (ELA) Exam last year. Children will continue to struggle in school until they have adequate literacy skills.
If you’re like me, you might read these stats and sigh and feel sad. You might go a step further and try to learn more about it. You might even go to school to be a reading teacher and contribute in that way. You might criticize politicians or administrators or teachers. Here’s what Bruce did.
A few years ago, Bruce was a business manager for IBM. He’s a smart fellow with an MBA from Harvard. He worked for IBM for 20 plus years and then, Bruce got laid off. As he describes it, he was sort of happily laid off (which tells you a lot about Bruce’s character.) He had been happy enough in his work, but he could also sense the promise of new possibilities for his life. He decided to take full advantage of his new found freedom and pursue a great passion, improving the education for Rochester students.
He founded an organization called FREE Partnerships (Friends of Educational Excellence: Helping Students Succeed). They set up community partnerships to support teachers by providing volunteers to work with students to help their learning and skill development. (Bruce is staying for a meeting after church with all of those who are interested in learning more about how, with minimal time commitment, you can personally be involved in this work. Everyone is invited to attend. I encourage you to come just to learn more about what Bruce is doing.
Bruce is one example of what our scripture passage is all about. Sometimes people say, I don’t get the Bible at all. I don’t know what it means and I don’t know how it applies to my life. I can point to Bruce today and say that’s what it means. It’s about the responsibility that we all have; the willingness to do what we can to make a difference in the world. To walk the talk of our faith. Our faith doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t do something.
I think the problem is that many of us do not think of ourselves as salt, with its capacity to change, to shake things up or as light, with its inherent ability to illuminate. Many of us think of ourselves instead as incapable, overextended, weary, even sinful. What a shame. I wonder how our lives would change if when we looked at ourselves in the mirror with full integrity could say, I am the light of the world. Wow. You are the light of the world. It’s true.
I’d like to close with a short guided meditation. Make sure your body is in a comfortable position. Close your eyes, if you’re comfortable to do so. And just start by being mindful of your breath. Follow your breath for a moment and relax your body. (Silence) Now I want you to picture yourself, just as you are, right now, sitting in your pew, only add one change. Picture your very body as being illuminated from deep within. As you sit here, you are literally glowing, your body is emitting light like a lamp. (Silence) Now picture yourself leaving worship, perhaps heading down to coffee hour or coming to the meeting with Bruce or just getting in your car and going home. Picture yourself, doing whatever you do, continuing to glow with a warm light from deep within. (Silence) And as you encounter people, something fascinating happens – your glow extends to them. When the cashier gives you your change, your light passes to them. When you pick up your child, they begin to glow too. Whether you come upon a stranger or a close family member, your light passes to them. And so you go through your day, warming, encouraging, enlightening everyone you encounter. (Silence) You are the light of the world. Open your eyes.
As we strive to live faithfully in this world, may we do so in full knowledge of who we are. Amen.
