Being salt and light

Isaiah 58:1-9a ; Matthew 5:13-20

We continue to read portions of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. It’s rather like Jesus’ inauguration address, setting out his/God’s vision of the kingdom of God with mercy and justice for all.

In this portion, Jesus declares that the disciples and the crowd who have gathered already have what they need. They are already salt and light, and their mission is to flavor the world with God’s love and share the light of God’s forgiveness and mercy with those around them.

We often think that we need to learn more about God, we need to learn more about the Bible, that we are not equipped to be salt or light for other people. But, this text, these words from Jesus, assure us that we already have all we need to be salt and light.

We question how salt can become un-salty. Jesus doesn’t explain it, and it seems scientifically impossible. Perhaps he means salt loses its ability to flavor our lives, our world, when we don’t intentionally sprinkle it, when we keep it for ourselves.

I found myself both separating and mingling these two images. They both can be used to highlight injustice and encourage folks to seek to rectify that injustice. Isaiah says, ‘shout out and do not hold back.’ This seems like some salty language, forcefully urging God to yell at the people to change their ways. Then Isaiah asks God to shine the divine light on the correct, the righteous way to live.

We can share salt and light when we visit someone who lives alone, or has been in the hospital. We shine light by simply asking someone how they are doing, or by sending a card with good wishes. We shine light with quilts and kits designed to fill in the gaps in the lives of needy people, and with bags of food.

Sometimes, we have fun shining a light. Saturday morning, we noticed Miss Kitty climbing the wall and running around the floor, like she was chasing a bug. It turns out, the light coming in through the window behind me was landing on my watch and reflecting on the wall or floor. I enjoyed a few minutes of light providing a game for her, and Mike, too, as he had a reason to turn on the camera. Matty, on the other hand, looks at Miss Kitty and says, ‘What’s up with you?’ Matty, apparently was not seeing the light.

… We sprinkle salt when we ask questions at county commission meetings. For example, when we learned that a bunch of new retail stores were finally coming to Citrus County, we were excited to have options beyond Walmart, and at the same time concerned about the trees and creeks that give the region the name Nature Coast. We were assured and happy to be enlightened, that there are rules about the preservation of nature and the commissioners worked hard to enforce them.

… You have probably read or heard about a group of about 19 Buddhist monks and their rescue dog, Aloka, who are walking from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C., to promote world peace. Their planned route spans approximately 2,300 miles across 10 states and is expected to take 120 days to complete. Today, Saturday, they are in Triangle, VA, near Quantico.

As they walk, they post videos and meditations on Facebook.  And they are greeted by people wanting to share gifts with them, some flowers, some bottled juice, a granola bar. Some bow in greeting. And a few join the walk for a few miles.

Always, there is always the wish for peace. For example, this one from Saturday morning: Today is going to be our peaceful day. May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace.

As they walk, there is a feeling of peace and joy shared among the monks and the people on the side of the road waiting to greet them. It’s certainly a shining of divine light.

… Pastor Melissa’s church has a Children’s Sabbath each year. One year, she even invited a child to give the sermon. The text was from Job, a daunting task for any pastor, but Pastor Melissa persisted and she and Hannah spent time together talking through the story.

Hannah had a couple of comments. The first was: I don’t think this story is appropriate for children. They persevered, and worked together to write the sermon. Hannah concluded that in the story of Job, God doesn’t do a good job of being God. Instead, God acts like a person drawn into a silly bet that overlooks the human cost, and then disappears. It is Job who acts the way we expect God to act. Job never gives up, sits in the ashes with his pain, but does not stray from the path of love. Hannah said, she wants a God like Job. Leave it to a child to sprinkle salt and shine light on the usual scholarly interpretation of Job. [Melissa Florer-Bixley, Christian Century, January 2026, pp 35-36 ]

… When we shine light and sprinkle salt, we change the world around us, at least for a few minutes. Jesus says we already have salt and light within us, we simply need to use them to add flavor and light to the people and the community around us.

This week, I hope you pay some attention to the ways in which you are light and salt, or notice light and salt in others. Amen