Welcome to
Ordinary Time.
After the high celebrations of the past weeks we are back again
in the green and growing season, with a focus on very ordinary things.
Salt and
light.
No abstruse
theological concepts but everyday things we encounter without thought....but for all that, also
quite extraordinary, since in different ways they impact on everything around
them.
Salt, of
course, works in a way that is hidden. When you add it to a recipe, you don’t
SEE the salt at work...and you can’t remove it again no matter how hard you try
Used well it enhances other natural flavours, changing everything for the
better.
Just think of
salt and shake crisps!
When we
describe someone as the salt of the earth, we’re saying something particular
about them.
Yes, they are
people of good principles, people of absolute integrity– but they may not
always be that easy to spend time with precisely because they are people who
don’t compromise…who carry on holding the line no matter what. Wholesome but
unmissable.
Jesus is very
clear about how he feels about those who don’t stay true to themselves – who
become like salt that has lost its flavour, through exposure to damp so that it
is no longer really salt at all. Roman roads were often coated with such
unsalty salt, as a sealant to dry things out – trampled under foot daily as it
is no use for flavouring any more.
So Jesus
isn’t mincing his words. If we’re no use in flavouring things, we’re out…
If we adapt
so completely to the secular word that there’s no way to distinguish us from our
neighbours we’ve lost something essential.
We have a
calling, you and I….a calling to make a difference by living in a different
kind of way.
We should
stand out from the crowd in ways that make others long to be like us. You can
decide for yourselves whether the recent appearances of the Church of England
in the media serve that purpose or not…Certainly we’ve made our presence known –
but not, perhaps, in ways that make our secular neighbours long to join us.
Salt in the wrong place can wreck a recipe.
Light, on the
other hand, works quite differently. Nothing subtle about it.
You are
the light of the world
If it is dark
and you light a lamp – everything changes.
That’s the
whole point of a lamp - to make a visible difference….(and of course, if
you put a basket over a naked flame, you can expect a fire)
We need light
in order to make sense of our surroundings, to stay safe, to do our work, to
recognise our friends.
Again, Jesus
is anything but obscure in his teaching – and is not preaching obscurity to his
disciples either.
“You must
be like a city on a hill, like a lamp in full view” - outstanding, unmissable.
Illuminating
everything through our confidence in God’s love, and our obedience to his law
in ever aspect of our lives.
In other
words, we have a God-given responsibility to BE different and to MAKE a
difference –
This week our
city is dealing with the tragedy of another teenager lost to knife crime and
gang violence. Babakar was 15. Let that sink in for a minute. FIFTEEN. Anyone
who has ever been a teenager will remember that this is above all the age of
poor choices and impulsive decisions. I’m pretty confident that I am not the
only one in the building who did some fairly stupid things at that point,
though mine were pretty low key, involving fashion sense, dreadful haircuts and
the way I chose to spend Saturday nights – but I’ve been given the gift of time
to redeem them, to make better choices, to direct my energies in ways that
might add to the sum of human happiness, not its reverse.
And, what’s
more, that gift of time is still current – for each and every one of us here. A
gift to be used.
So – what are
you going to do?
What are WE
going to do?
How might you
demonstrate the love of Christ, as Jesus weeps over our city, where some young
people go in fear of their lives, knowing that to step into the wrong post-code
is to risk real violence, even death…?
The calling
to make a difference is not an optional extra, so what next?
You might
make a difference as salt – quietly changing the flavour of your own
neighbourhood step by step by step with random acts of kindness, befriending
the stranger, defending the weak, advocating for the voiceless, welcoming the
homeless stranger into your house
If that
appeals, you might enjoy signing up to one of the generosity challenges, Love
Life, Care for God’s Creation, or 40 Acts where you are set a different
challenge for each day of Lent, to lead you on a journey to transform your
small corner of the world.
I’m sure
you’ll find ways to achieve that – and it WILL change the flavour of your
community...bringing out the best in others just as salt brings out the true
flavour of food.
Or you might prefer
to commit to big, visible projects that light up the whole city.
We’ve
certainly got a building that lends itself to that, here on Hill Top. A city
built on a hill cannot be hidden...and nor can a cathedral. Indeed, the night
that St Michael’s burned it truly shone for all to see, far and wide – and the
work that stemmed from that night continues to shine, visible yet further
afield, drawing others from across the world so that, like a mirror, we can
reflect the light of God’s reconciling love.
But that
doesn’t mean we can sit back here in the cathedral and rest on our historic laurels.
If we’re keen
to make a difference together perhaps there are things we can do as a
community right here and now.
What about joining in Bishop Christopher’s initiative against youth
violence?
Or committing
ourselves to better stewardship of the earth’s resources by aspiring to become
an eco congregation, taking our part in handing on the planet more or less
intact to the generations to come?
Or – you may
well have other ideas – so do please share them, and start a revolution based
on love...for the point is that even if we feel weary, inadequate or defeated
by the scale of the world’s need, we are called to act.
That’s as
much part of our faith as daily prayer and Sunday worship.
Indeed, it’s
very much part of that worship – a way in which we affirm God’s rule over every
aspect of our lives.
Indeed, if
our worship ends as we walk out of the door then it’s sadly incomplete…
When we are
sent “to love and serve the Lord” those are not just words. We serve him in proportion to our
service to those who are struggling. To be salt that gives flavour to lives
devoid of joy. To be
light that illuminates dark places where violence and fear seem to have the
upper hand…We should go out alert to signs of God at work in our world, and eager to join
in that work beside Him.
It’s far
too easy to leave Sunday worship as salty as winter road grit, and as bright as
a child’s torch left on overnight. You’ll know that each year in our NCD survey
we have had outstanding scores for our inspiring worship...but the question is,
what does that worship inspire us to do? If it just makes us feel content,
refreshed by a morning of beautiful liturgy and great music, then I’m rather
afraid we’re standing beside the Israelites to whom Isaiah spoke. They attended
worship, practised fasting and felt pretty good about it. They hoped to win
God’s favour , and were quite indignant when God did not seem to be impressed.
God’s diagnosis of their condition is brutal in its clarity. Listen to how it
reads in The Message “Because your worship and fasting are all about YOU says
God...You’ve missed the point. .This is the kind of [worship] I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own
families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around.
Your righteousness will pave your way...If you get rid of unfair practices, quit
blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins, if you are generous
with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out, your lives
will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives be bathed in sunlight.”
That really is inspiring...Christianity is not a club where
we gather but a movement of people going forward to change the world as we
collaborate with God in making the Kingdom real – even here, even now. True
worship extends beyond the doors of our cathedral into our city and beyond, and
is realised through acts of generosity and faithfulness. You’ll see it wherever
you look, if you keep your eyes open. You’ll see people pausing to chat to
homeless strangers, affirming their dignity as children of God. You’ll see it
when people of faith stand up and challenge injustice, when they set their
personal or institutional safety aside for the sake of the downtrodden, the
excluded, the victims. God is constantly at work – and invites us to join
in...It might not win us friends, but then Jesus didn’t call us to be popular, didn’t
promise us an easy ride, or invite us to stand under the radar. If you’re
shining with the light of God’s truth, you can’t really hope that no-one will
notice…
I’ve heard of one church where, above the door going out a
large sign proclaims
“Worship has ended. Our service has begun”
I would love that to be our motto too. Lent is near, with a
fresh opportunity to recalibrate our lives and recover our calling. Let’s step
out together and let our light so shine before all that they may see our good
works and glorify our heavenly Father.
2 comments:
Thank you
Thank you
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