More Salt and Light Talk

Matthew 5:13-19 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "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 your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

This great Gospel reading about which I wrote in an earlier blog post, is also one of the optional verses for the alternate opening to Evening Prayer.  It talks about being light to the world and the salt of the earth.  Jesus is saying such wonderful things about those who have chosen to follow him and what they can achieve if we set our mind to it.   Christians have had the awesome opportunity over these past 2000 years to influence whole countries and decades of generations with the good news that God came to save us in the Person of God's Son, Jesus Christ.   In many ways those who came before us such as Leo of Rome whom we commemorate today, did that in such outstanding ways.   But, even those whom we consider saints were not perfect, nor did they do everything exactly right.   They were human beings affected by misunderstandings as many of us are today.   What makes them and us as saints is what we do with what we have here and now.  What's imperfect is something God can use.  What is perfect if it is at all possible, is something that can inspire us to become even better with what is not so on target.

Leo of Rome produced over 90 sermons many of which we still have in print.  He fought heresies within the Church as we do today.  Leo was a man who was challenged by folks within the Church as our leaders need to be challenged by those of us in the House of God now.  The early Church like the Church of today, thinks it has it all together, when there is so much we do not yet know or understand.  That doesn't mean we should discontinue everything that is good to make changes where they need to be made.  It does mean we must take all that we have been given by the saints of yesterday, as saints today for the sake of the saints of the future.   If we Christians do not wake up and begin pursuing justice and equality as important parts of our sharing the Gospel of Jesus, there may not be many who know about God's incredible love in God's perfect revelation in years to come.  That's why equal rights and inclusion of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people is so very important.  Aside from being the right thing to do, it is also very important if Christians of today are to be known as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  If we Christians are to give glory to God as Jesus is so encouraging us to do, then we need to be sure that the salt and light are there for everyone, including LGBT, women, the unemployed, folks of other races, religions, abilities, languages etc.  If our salt and light can choose who we include and who we exclude, we have a real problem with this Gospel and what Jesus is calling us to.

Yesterday I found a very interesting post on Think Progress, one of my favorite news sources.  Read just a few lines for yourself, and then I have some comments.

North Carolina Rev. Phillip “Flip” Benham’s wild-west antics earned him two years probation yesterday after a judge convicted him for stalking an abortion doctor. Leader of the “unashamedly” Christian, anti-abortion group Operation Save America, Benham distributed old-West style “Wanted” posters earlier this year that “included the names, addresses and photos of four Charlotte, N.C., doctors who perform abortions.”

Next to this post is a photograph of Rev. Phillip "Flip" Benham wearing a red tea shirt with the words: "Jesus Is The Mandate" next to a huge crucifix.  

I have a real problem as I hope many of my readers do with someone wearing a tea shirt suggesting that Jesus is the mandate for a preacher of the Gospel to seek to murder someone.   I know there are a fair number of people who consider abortion to be murder.   I am not seeking to be in a discussion about the good or bad about abortion here.   If we had a cultural climate that respected women better than we do, where women were not still looked upon as the property of men to do what they damn well please with, we might very well not need abortion.   But the fact is not only do we have men who are irresponsible when it comes to women, we also have a group of Republicans, many of whom just got elected last week who do not believe in giving women public health care assistance or other forms of assistance to help them make choices easier.    As long as women continue to be treated disrespectfully and so called "pro-life" folks feel that their right to tell a woman what to do while she is pregnant, but not give a flip about what happens after that child is born, a woman has a right to choose to do what is best for her, as well as her responsibility to that child.  Any man who thinks that a woman making the choice to abort a fetus is a simple decision, does not understand what women go through.   And for this pastor to take it upon himself to decide the safety, life and death of a doctor like that, really has a problem when he wears a shirt suggesting that Jesus is his mandate to kill another human being like that.   When people give Jesus Christ a bad name like that, the salt is bitter and the light bulb has gone out.  It is as black as night.  Not just for that Pastor, but for anyone who thinks that violence like that is some how a "pro-life" attitude. 

Such is the statements that often follow the suicides of LGBT youth who did so because of bullying.  When someone makes a statement that they did that because they knew that they were not normal, and that the LGBT communities tried to recruit them, that's just not right.  That is just not the kind of salt or light that Jesus is talking about here.  

If Christians want that light on a lamp stand so that others can see the Light that is Jesus Christ radiating from we who follow him, then we need to get rid of the prejudices that so many of us cling to.  There is no light or good flavored salt in endorsing violence and cruelty.  The bitterness of salt that looses it's flavor because of attitudes of self righteousness, biases that are masked under personal convictions when they are nothing more than religious based bigotry, is salt that is not effective for Christians.   There is no light to be found in Arizona's immigration law, or Don't Ask, Don't Tell or the decision of Oklahoma against Shari'a Law. The nation wide concern and those organizing for the justice of immigrants, LGBT and Muslims, they are producing light.  Those seeking to further discriminate and legislate equal rights for immigrants, LGBT and Muslims by negatively stereotyping, and suggesting violence is a darkness that cannot be justified. There is no light to be found when people will not allow inclusive language or political correctness to at least help us attempt to treat others different from ourselves with some kind of respect.   The salt of ignorance that won't engage in dialogue with people that we do not know or understand, is bitter, tasteless and useless.  It cannot help any recipe of inclusion of any Bible study about the crucifixion.  The crucifixion is how God showed God's love for all.  When our Bible study leads us to more religious based bigotry, we risk letting the light go out..   

As Christians, we can all do better.  We should all desire to do better.  Some of us can only do so much.  That should not keep us from at least trying.  We just never know how our trying might just light a lamp that fits perfectly on a stand so that everyone can see the brightness of God's love through us.   So let's all work together so that we will all try for the benefit of those who will like the light and salt that Christians have to share.

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 27, Book of Common Prayer, page 236).

O Lord our God, grant that your Church, following the teaching of your servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from your divine Being; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Leo of Rome, Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, page 673).

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Future of the Human Race, page 828).