This past Christmas, our family decided to make tamales for the first time. Actually it was my wife Anita’s grown daughters, now with children of their own, who wanted to try their hands at making the traditional Mexican Christmas delicacy. With the recipe from the internet in hand, ingredients on the table, and a half-dozen cooks in the kitchen, the ladies began the process of mixing the maza dough. The corn husks were soaking, the meat had been prepared the night before, and the guys were keeping a safe distance in the living room. Suddenly, production stopped. An important ingredient was lacking. The small blue cylinder with the little girl with the umbrella that read “When it rains it pours” was empty! That’s right, Anita’s batch of 15-dozen tamales was out of salt. All the other spices could not replace the all-important Morton’s. One more trip to the store was required. This brings us to one of the most important verses in our reading for today, Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
In God’s recipe for the salvation of this planet, He needs us as the salt. Without us, like those tamales, there is no way to carry out His plan. Jesus went on to add another metaphor in the next three verses in today’s reading, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
Today’s reading from Genesis gave us the context for this call on our lives to be salt and light. In Genesis 12:3 we read, “I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” The blessing that God began with that covenant with Abram continues through us today. By faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become the spiritual sons and daughters of Abraham. The salt and the light that flow through us are God’s way of fulfilling His ultimate mission---that “all peoples on earth” should be blessed when every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The alternative to this successful mission is souls “in danger of the fires of hell” (Matt 5:22).
This prescription to be salt and light is particularly relevant for us at Hillcrest Church which is quite literally like the “city on a hill” with a light that cannot be hidden. However, if we hide the light, we are like that tasteless salt, not even good for making tamales. Jesus has a word for us today. He gives us some clear illustrations in Matthew 5 about how to be that salt and light, direction like not getting angry, and seeking reconciliation with anyone who might have something against us. In the opening verses of this chapter, our “saltiness” can be summarized by the blessings Jesus pronounces, blessings for mercy, humility, seeking peace, and yes, even suffering for doing right.
Psalm 5 for today also includes a great promise for us as we, by God’s grace and the in-filling of the Holy Spirit, seek to be His salt of the earth. In verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 5 we read: “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”
Our tamales this Christmas tasted good with the fresh salt. Likewise, our families, our neighborhoods, all the places we work or study or visit people in this city can be blessed by us. As we have seen earlier in Matthew, for that blessing to spread through us, we will need to tell people about Jesus, tell them of their need to repent and be baptized, and as we see today, our good works, acts of mercy, love, reconciliation will need to be so evident that people really will see them and “praise your Father in heaven.”
Go be light and salt today. People’s eternal lives depend on it!
by Paul Kerr, Pastor of Mature Adults and Ministry Coordination
No comments:
Post a Comment