Sunday's Sermon ~ 09.26.21 |
The Very Reverend Randi Hicks Rowe
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Today we seem to have a love-hate relationship with salt. We like it because it adds flavor, but we have to be careful not to have too much of it because it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other health issues.
Salt in Biblical times, however, was essential, and pure salt was highly valued. Biblical peoples used it to preserve foods. Ancient peoples also used salt to disinfect wounds.
Salt, especially pure salt, also had religious and symbolic value. King Abijah referred to the covenant God made with David --- the one that said a descendant of David would always be on the throne – as a salt covenant. The terms “salt covenant” meant that the covenant could never be broken, and, of course, Jesus’s birth as a descendant of David was part of this covenant. When the Israelites offered incense and praise to the Lord, the Mosaic law required them to add pure salt to the incense. Every offering to God was to have salt with it. And eating salt with someone was a sign of friendship and loyalty.
When Jesus talks about having salt in ourselves, Jesus is talking about being fully a part of the covenant with God and each other. He’s talking about committing to a life of unity with fellow Christians and flavoring the world with the love of God. He’s talking about praying for each other and helping each other – not just in times of crisis but all the time. He’s also talking about us being willing to ask for help and support from each other, rather than letting pride get in the way. Jesus is talking about this unity, love, and trust with each other becoming so much a part of our lives that it becomes our identity.
The challenge, of course, is keeping our “saltiness.” It’s keeping that “salt” within us pure. It’s maintaining this spirit of love, peace, and unity despite whatever comes up in the world.
Salt, of course, never loses its chemical properties. It’s always still salt. And pure salt never has an expiration date. It’s fresh forever. But salt that is contaminated with other chemicals loses its flavor and utility. Table salt, which has additives, does expire after a few years. Salt also can evaporate when exposed to humidity, leaving behind something that looks like salt but really isn’t.
We also can lose our “saltiness” if we fail to keep our lives pure. When we stray away from the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, and worship attendance, we become more at risk for emotions such as anger, resentment, negativity, and jealousy to creep into our saltiness. When we feel threatened and unsafe, instead of going to God to ask for help and trusting in the outcome, we lash out at others. Instead of being in union with our fellow Christian, we let a minor disagreement wedge its way between us.
Salt that has lost its saltiness is no longer useful. It can’t do the things salt was intended to do. When we bicker with others or let negative emotions control our lives, we lose our saltiness. We can’t live into our calling. We fail as Christians and as a church to make a difference in the world. If we lose our saltiness for too long, we may look like a church, but not really be one anymore. A church isn’t a church if it ceases to love. A church isn’t a church if it fails to do things that actively bring God to others. A church isn’t a church if it fails to reach out to those in physical or spiritual need both inside its walls and without. A church isn’t a church unless it heeds Christ’s commandment to go out into the world preaching and teaching the Gospel. A church that has lost its saltiness can’t minister as God calls it to do.
Here’s where the metaphor of salt in us as Christians and in the church differs from actual salt. Once actual salt loses its “saltiness,” the only thing to do is to throw it away. Fortunately, when Christians begin to lose their saltiness, however, they can go to God through Christ, repent and denounce those impurities that have crept in, and ask God’s forgiveness. Then God restores the “saltiness” within us. God again gives us the ability to be in unity, pray for each other, and flavor the world.
We are called to have salt within us and to keep that salt pure. With that salt, we love the world and spread the Gospel.
So, let’s pass the salt.
Salt in Biblical times, however, was essential, and pure salt was highly valued. Biblical peoples used it to preserve foods. Ancient peoples also used salt to disinfect wounds.
Salt, especially pure salt, also had religious and symbolic value. King Abijah referred to the covenant God made with David --- the one that said a descendant of David would always be on the throne – as a salt covenant. The terms “salt covenant” meant that the covenant could never be broken, and, of course, Jesus’s birth as a descendant of David was part of this covenant. When the Israelites offered incense and praise to the Lord, the Mosaic law required them to add pure salt to the incense. Every offering to God was to have salt with it. And eating salt with someone was a sign of friendship and loyalty.
When Jesus talks about having salt in ourselves, Jesus is talking about being fully a part of the covenant with God and each other. He’s talking about committing to a life of unity with fellow Christians and flavoring the world with the love of God. He’s talking about praying for each other and helping each other – not just in times of crisis but all the time. He’s also talking about us being willing to ask for help and support from each other, rather than letting pride get in the way. Jesus is talking about this unity, love, and trust with each other becoming so much a part of our lives that it becomes our identity.
The challenge, of course, is keeping our “saltiness.” It’s keeping that “salt” within us pure. It’s maintaining this spirit of love, peace, and unity despite whatever comes up in the world.
Salt, of course, never loses its chemical properties. It’s always still salt. And pure salt never has an expiration date. It’s fresh forever. But salt that is contaminated with other chemicals loses its flavor and utility. Table salt, which has additives, does expire after a few years. Salt also can evaporate when exposed to humidity, leaving behind something that looks like salt but really isn’t.
We also can lose our “saltiness” if we fail to keep our lives pure. When we stray away from the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture reading, and worship attendance, we become more at risk for emotions such as anger, resentment, negativity, and jealousy to creep into our saltiness. When we feel threatened and unsafe, instead of going to God to ask for help and trusting in the outcome, we lash out at others. Instead of being in union with our fellow Christian, we let a minor disagreement wedge its way between us.
Salt that has lost its saltiness is no longer useful. It can’t do the things salt was intended to do. When we bicker with others or let negative emotions control our lives, we lose our saltiness. We can’t live into our calling. We fail as Christians and as a church to make a difference in the world. If we lose our saltiness for too long, we may look like a church, but not really be one anymore. A church isn’t a church if it ceases to love. A church isn’t a church if it fails to do things that actively bring God to others. A church isn’t a church if it fails to reach out to those in physical or spiritual need both inside its walls and without. A church isn’t a church unless it heeds Christ’s commandment to go out into the world preaching and teaching the Gospel. A church that has lost its saltiness can’t minister as God calls it to do.
Here’s where the metaphor of salt in us as Christians and in the church differs from actual salt. Once actual salt loses its “saltiness,” the only thing to do is to throw it away. Fortunately, when Christians begin to lose their saltiness, however, they can go to God through Christ, repent and denounce those impurities that have crept in, and ask God’s forgiveness. Then God restores the “saltiness” within us. God again gives us the ability to be in unity, pray for each other, and flavor the world.
We are called to have salt within us and to keep that salt pure. With that salt, we love the world and spread the Gospel.
So, let’s pass the salt.
2021
2020
~ St. Andrew's seeks to share the unconditional love of God ~
Virtual & In-Person Sunday Service: 10:45 am
Sunday School: 10:30
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Wilson-Burt & West Creek Roads, Burt, New York 14028
Our Vision: Sharing God's Love
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins...
Virtual & In-Person Sunday Service: 10:45 am
Sunday School: 10:30
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Wilson-Burt & West Creek Roads, Burt, New York 14028
Our Vision: Sharing God's Love
1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins...
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updated 1.29.2022
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