Go: Salt and Light
26 May 2024
miak Siew
Summary: Salt is common – and to be salt and light of the world, we must always keep our feet on the ground – a journey of humility and downward mobility, and not one where we consider ourselves to be better than others. First Realise Everyone’s Equal.
To be very honest, I am still very emotional today. I am really grateful for Gary’s sermon last week, and the worship team who really made me feel last week was a mini-Amplify.
For those who are new to us – Amplify started off in 2009 as a worship / Christian conference to be a blessing to the development of inclusive faith communities in Asia. I was privileged to work on the liturgy of the communion since 2012 – and each time I invited each pastor to say the words of the institution from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 in their own native tongue, hoping to recreate the feeling of Pentecost when each person heard their own language being spoken.
Last Sunday, when Mich spoke in 4 languages, when we sang in 2, it felt like a mini-Amplify, a mini-Pentecost.
I was going through Amplify’s website and their vision states:
A WORLD WHERE EVERY INDIVIDUAL BELONGS, FLOURISHES AND LIVES FOR RESTORATION AND WHOLENESS OF ALL RELATIONSHIPS AND CREATION.
REGARDLESS of our faith and spiritual backgrounds, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation and preferences, we are all called to be the salt and light on the Earth.
TOGETHER, we can be a force for good and positive influence in the lives of others by reflecting God’s unconditional love.
And it got me thinking – what is salt and light?
** not grandstanding
Salt and light comes from Matthew 5, and today I want to invite you to reflect on the passage.
Matthew 5:13-16
13 “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.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
What do you think salt of the earth means?
In today’s usage, when someone is called salt of the earth, it means that they are genuine, good, kind, reliable.
But there’s another dimension to salt….
One of the earliest stories I have heard as a child, is the story The princess and the salt. I wonder how many of you have heard it before (humour me, I want to see if there is a generation gap here)
Have you heard the story of the salt princess?
For those who have not heard, here is the summary:
There was once a king, who asked his three daughters how much they loved him.
The eldest says, “I love you more than gold.”
The second daughter says, “I love you more than diamonds.”
The youngest says, “Oh father, I love you as much as salt.”
‘What?’ screams the king,’ how dare you compare me to such a common, lowly thing?’ and banishes her from the kingdom.
Years later, the princess meets a prince, and all, including the king was invited to the wedding banquet.
A great feast is prepared but the cooks are told in advance to put no salt in the food nor any on the table. The Old King is frustrated to the point of busting, unable to enjoy the lavish treats which smell so wonderful but taste so bland.
‘This tastes terrible..’ he blurts eventually.
‘Why, your majesty I heard you didn’t like salt..’
The King then realises the true value of salt: it might not be as shiny or expensive as diamonds and gold, but it enhances his life every day.
Salt is common, and often seen as lowly. Jesus says to his followers “You are salt of the earth.”
What do you think, if God says to you, I love you more than gold. More than diamonds. I love you as much as salt.
There is a principle in Catholic social teaching – that is preferential option for the poor.
Throughout the Bible, there is a trend of priority being given to the well-being of the poor and powerless of society in the teachings and commands of God as well as the prophets and other righteous people.
Jesus says in Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these siblings of mine, you did it to me.’
Catholic canon law states, “[The Christian Faithful] are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.”
According to this doctrine, through one’s words, prayers and deeds one must show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. Therefore, when instituting public policy one must always keep the “preferential option for the poor” at the forefront of one’s mind. Accordingly, this doctrine implies that the moral test of any society is “how it treats its most vulnerable members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they affect the poor”.[5]
Pope Benedict XVI !! has taught that “love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel”.[6] This preferential option for the poor and vulnerable includes all who are marginalized in society.
Here at FCC, we try to live this out in our own way. Sometimes I hear people talk about how “Miak is preaching too often about social justice” – erm – this IS the gospel. This IS the good news.
Because the gospel is the inversion of the Salt Princess story. God loves God’s people like salt. Jesus didn’t just come for the rich and powerful. Jesus came for everyone, and ESPECIALLY the most vulnerable.
Xiao En shared her weariness last Sunday (and again thank you all for you patience – service ran way overtime). There are times I feel weary too. And I ask myself “What am I doing?” “Is this enough?”
And what keeps me going are the glimpses of the kin-dom of God I see.
Yesterday Kyn shared in the leaders’ chatgroup that all the items for T-mart (our project to supply Transgender elderly folks with groceries and other necessities) have been sponsored. And she shared with me, one of the sponsors was Molly’s neighbour. That puzzled me – and she told me that “Yup. She very steady, recruited her neighbour (friend from coffeeshop) for the sponsorship.”
Salt. And light. I don’t need to say more.
Don’t underestimate the little things you do. Whether it is at work, home, at church, anywhere. The restoration of the world rests not on the shoulders of a select few, but on everyone.
Jesus asks “if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?”
I want to ask How does salt lose its taste? How do we lose our flavour?
I can think of two ways.
One, when salt isn’t “used.” Two, when we are no longer salt.
Let me talk about what I mean when I say when salt isn’t used. We taste salt, only when salt is dissolved in water. Then the sensory cells on our tongues detect the sodium ions.
What, then is the “water”? I think water is God’s redemptive, restorative work in the world – the work towards shalom, towards a world of peace, love and justice. When we participate in this work, to serve others, we are salt.
You are salt – just like Molly and her neighbour, and all the rest of the sponsors and volunteers for T-Mart.
I want to again appreciate all the volunteers who give of their time and their resources, their sweat, their salt, to this community. Those who serve on the various teams that make Sunday service possible – the welcome team, the prayer team, the communion team, the worship, the production team, the care team, the lunch kaki team.
I want to appreciate the volunteers for all our ad-hoc projects – like the volunteers last Saturday who helped out at the IDAHOBIT film screening.
I want to appreciate those who step up to lead – and take on the responsibilities of caring for this community and caring others. The ministry leaders, the cell group leaders, the council and the board.
You are salt and light.
We are no longer salt, when we lose touch with our values.
We are also no longer salt, when we see ourselves as above others.
Chua Mui Hoong, in her eulogy for Rev Yap, wrote:
The secular world and even the way of some churches that preach a prosperity gospel, is to aim for upward mobility. We strive for more – more wealth, more status, more glory. Rev Yap’s life was a study in downward mobility – after being a Methodist bishop, he moved on to pastor those ostracised by mainstream churches. Some would say such a movement of the decending way, is a reflection of true gospel values.
We are no longer salt- when we aim for upward mobility. Keep close to the earth.
You are salt and light.
Jesus said “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
As we think about being light – I want to emphasise humility. Because there are different kinds of light. Lights that shine in darkness, like lighthouses that help sailors avoid treacherous waters. Lights that give comfort and warmth when it gets dark and cold.
And then there are lights that people crave for. Spotlights that feed the ego. Bright neon lights of consumerism that distract us from the God. The glittering that reflects light off gold.
And the lights that we use to shine on others’ faults, so we don’t look at our own. I find it very strange when people tell me it is wrong to be gay and I am not really following Jesus, and I ask them how about your obsession about making money and accumulating wealth? Didn’t Jesus tell the rich young man, ““If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”? I don’t go around condemning their obsession to buy and flip properties or worship of billionaires like Elon Musk – I believe we start by examining ourselves and be really honest – do we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength? It is not for others to tell us – we need to be truthful to ourselves.
When we point of the splinters in others, are we ignoring the planks in our own eyes? Being salt and light is not grandstanding – it is not performing for others to see
When we correct others what place are we coming from? A position of superiority? A position of judgement? Or a position of humility?
Then what kind of light shall we be?
I always teach Bible study asking the question – what’s the chapter / verses before this, and what comes after to situate the context of the passage we are studying.
So I want to close today with the passage that comes before Jesus talks about being salt and light
The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-11
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[b] on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
