February 9, 2014
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church in San Francisco.
No one complained last Sunday or this past week when the Bay Area received some rain. But water experts believe that it’s still not enough to solve our drought problem for the past 3 years. Too bad we can’t do something about the vast Pacific Ocean out there west of us where there’s plenty of water. Unfortunately, salt water is not the right kind.
Salt water is pretty useless for us who may need to ration our water use soon. We know that salt water plays a critical role in the delicate balance of the global ecosystem, but it’s not for filling our water bottles. It’s not good to water our lawns or wash our cars. We know that when we swim in the ocean, we look forward to washing salt water off with fresh water. Occasionally, we use it to gargle our throats when we have a cold or fill our water tanks for tropical fish, but besides that, what good is it?
Anticipating that our drought may become the way of life for us, there’s been a renewed interest in desalination—a technology to transform salt water with its limited usefulness, into fresh water—the kind that we humans really, really need.
A good example of this is in Singapore where they have opened a desalination plant that can produce 36 million U.S. gallons of fresh water every day by pulling it straight from the ocean—that’s more than 10% of the country’s supply. But Singapore is a much smaller country than the US!
While desalination is a good thing when it comes to water, Jesus tells us that it’s really a bad thing when it comes to his people. In the middle of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus looks out over his followers and disciples and proclaims, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (v. 13).
Those are tough words from Jesus, but in order to understand them, we need to grasp them from a first-century perspective. While salt in water is largely a pain for us humans, salt minus the water has long been a blessing for us humans.
Valuable Salt
Salt has proven to be so valuable because of its many uses that it has, in history, been used as currency and fought for in wars. Before refrigeration and canning, salt was used to cure and store meat. Before antiseptics, salt was used to disinfect wounds. Salt was used to make pottery and in many other daily household things.
Salt, in general, was loved not for just one of its uses but because it had so many uses. It was an unexpected blessing in a thousand ways. Jesus’ point is that those who belong to him, who live under his reign and rule in this world, are just like salt. When salt is not in water, it’s incredibly useful and surprisingly valuable. Just like salt can enhance the food that we are about to eat, we can enhance and make the kingdom of God known in the world.
When Jesus tells his disciples that they are the “salt of the earth,” he is not just saying that they are good, honest and hard-working people. Being the “salt of the earth” has become a cliché of someone who has persevered. Sometimes we describe someone who may be boring or uninformed, “Oh well, he may not be brilliant, but he’s the salt of the earth.”
This is not the way Jesus intended in his phrase. What he was saying to his disciples was “You are the people called by God to give some zest or taste in the world.” For us today, Jesus is saying, “You are the siracha or Tabasco sauce of the world!” You have been called by God to add spice and savor to the world—to make people’s tired, tasteless, dead spirits alive again with the message about God’s kingdom of love and peace.
In a similar way, Jesus tells his disciples that they are the “light of the world.” In the first century, the imperial power of Rome was described as a “light of the world.” After the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, this disarray brought about by Roman violence sent both Jews and Christians into a painful process of finding what their identity is. In this chaotic society, Jesus teaches his disciples that it’s not the Romans imperial powers but that they are the light of the world.
What Jesus is saying is that what the people of God do in the world really makes a difference. We are called by God to lighten up the world and to give it the spicy savor of God’s kingdom.
Salty Church
Notice that this Sunday is the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany which means we are getting manifestations of who Jesus really is who was born in Bethlehem, who was baptized in the Jordan, who changed water into wine at a wedding feast, and today who spoke in parables about such earthy elements as salt and light. God reveals himself in the person of Jesus as salt and light. And God reveals himself in God’s people, you and me as salt and light too.
While we read Jesus’ words, “You are the salt of the earth,” this “you” is plural. He is not saying “you” meaning each individual person rather he is saying “y’all.” He is saying, “All of us are the salt of the earth.” He’s speaking to the whole church, or what would become the whole church. The church has the mission of being salt in the world.
We have all sung, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” It’s catchy and we all should know it but it doesn’t really capture the sense of what Jesus is saying. He’s not talking about each one of you being that little light, he’s talking about the church as a body, the Body of Christ being the light. That means that you do not have to be salt and light all by yourself. We are to be salt and light together.
How do we do this? In San Francisco and the Bay Area, the church has become so inconsequential in today’s world. Nobody listens to what we have to say anymore. I never get an invitation from Mayor Lee to advise him. At best, the outside world thinks that we’re quaint and irrelevant; at worst they think we’re superstitious and deluded.
But Matthew’s church didn’t have it any easier than we do. Remember it was the imperial Roman powers that prevailed over this little, tiny breakaway movement from the synagogue. At best, they were considered superstitious and deluded; at worst they were persecuted. At least, we have the freedom of religion in the U.S.! It must have sounded ridiculous to them to be called the salt of the earth and the light of the world in this setting. But we know now that they went into the world with the name of Christ on their lips, and the world changed because of them.
Why do you think we have appointed a Long-range Planning Committee? We don’t want to be inconsequential. The world has changed in the past 25 years and nobody listens to what we have to say anymore. Notice that the world isn’t exactly beating a path to our door—fewer and fewer people today attend church, and even fewer people become church members. This means our primary mission field is no longer in distant countries, but right outside our doors.
This is the reason why the new Reception Ministry is the right ministry for us today and I wish and pray that more of our members would take some time to participate in it. Last Sunday after the annual Meeting, we opened our doors to the neighbors and many came. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for our church.
One characteristic of a salty church is to develop and foster a church culture that empowers the members of the congregation for a variety of ministries. We all know that each of us as individuals has gifts and passion for ministry but how might we nurture in our church this vibrant and healthy church spirit to start new ministries?
It begins with our church leaders being open to the movement of God’s Spirit as they see that Spirit moving in and among the people of God. If someone wants to try out a new program to meet the needs of the homeless, we would say, “Let’s do it!” If the youth of the church want to take the lead in developing some more times to meet for fellowship outside of Sunday mornings, we say, “Go for it!” If adults want to offer seminars and retreats on retirement planning and good stewardship, we say, “Good idea, let’s do it.” When we said that we haven’t had a Christmas pageant as long as anyone can remember, we went ahead and did it. And when you said to us that we need more opportunities to fellowship and grow in faith as a church, we’ll be doing it on March 22nd. When Pastor Lee came back from China and said, “Let’s start a Reception Ministry to reach out to our neighbors and visitors,” we are doing it.
People are bubbling over with ideas to salt and lighten the world, and the church says, “We’ll see what we can do to support you in this potential new ministry. We are salt and light together.” What more might we do to become salt and light today?
Another consistent characteristic of churches that are thriving in the 21st century that was present in the first century is that the members know how to talk about their faith, both to each other and to people outside the church. They talked about Jesus. They call this giving a “testimony.” Churches are discovering that it is a key to their vitality. Churches where people are able to talk about their faith, to point to the presence of God in their lives, are churches that are salt and light for the world. We see this when we invite candidates for Baptism and church membership. It may come across intimidating but our practice has proven to be essential to our ongoing vitality and health as a church. Going to Sunday school regularly and seeking out opportunities to share your faith with others—to talk about Jesus would continue to sharpen your ability to give a testimony of your faith.
Re-Salination
Getting back to our desalination example, there are times when we feel un-salty. Desalination happened to us. What’s good for the water is bad for us Christians. We may become desalinated when cultural distractions cloud our minds and confuse our focus. We may become desalinated through osmosis in the world and become tempted to idolatry, self-righteousness, and violent behavior. We may become desalinated by our hot tempers like how one can boil seawater and the evaporated water in the form of steam can be condensed for us to drink because the water has lost its saltiness.
Jesus said if salt has lost it’s saltiness and not restored, it is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot. How can our saltiness be restored? The truth is that none of us ever truly stays salty all the time.
The point of the Sermon on the Mount is a call to be salt and light, to be blessed peacemaker, to be slow to anger, to be low on lust and high on love. We are called to be the kingdom of God and to demonstrate how to live under the gracious rule of God in Christ Jesus.
When we become desalinated in the world, we become re-salinated as salt in the world by receiving it from Jesus Christ. And how does that happen? By hearing the gospel, by receiving his words of pardon, by feasting on his body and blood, by connecting with his people and drawing life in his word.
For those of us who are feeling particularly un-salty today, the good news is that there is a “re-salination process.” His name is Jesus. He has a salt mine of forgiveness, grace and mercy that is yours for the asking—“Please pass the salt of Christ.” In Christ, you are lovingly restored into someone who can beautifully bring the good news of the kingdom to a world that is in short supply.
I know that salt is not necessarily the healthiest season to put on your food especially if you have high heart pressure. But whether it is sea salt or Black Sea salt or plain old iodized salt that is for your information all sodium chloride, we are to be salty Christians.
Salt water is pretty useless especially for us Californians living during the worst drought in recent history. Thank God for desalination and rationing. But salty Christians are incredibly important and surprisingly valuable. Salty Christians are the people of God’s world.
The larger church and our church, FCBC in particular is not inconsequential for the world. Where we as a church are doing things that are making God known in the world, people’s lives change. They can taste the saltiness in our lives. Like salt in a dull, flavorless dish, like light in a place of gloom and shadows, Christians can make a genuine difference. We might not get credit for it, we might not even be noticed like how salt is absorbed into the dish we are enjoying, but the salt and the light are doing their work nevertheless.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, God’s people, you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Outside these church doors there are desalinated people who are hungering for a savory taste of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Are you ready to be the salt shakers in the world to add flavor and life to physical suffering, emotional emptiness and spiritual hunger.
Christ has re-salinated you again. The world is waiting for you.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, you have called us to live the sorts of lives whereby others might see and taste your love and peace through us. Help us to share love that we have received from you, to show forth your plan for our lives as the salt of the earth. Help us to shine and to become salty Christians. Amen.