2020-02-07 – Year A – Epiphany 5 – Scout Sunday – The Rev. Christopher M. Klukas
2 Kings 22:8-20; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; Matthew 5:13-20
- Have you ever heard someone described as “salt of the earth”?
- “a person of great kindness, reliability, or honesty.”
- This describes many boy scouts. Scout law, oath, slogan “do a good turn daily”
- “Salt of the earth has its origin in the passage from the Gospel of Matthew
- Jesus was explaining to his followers how he wanted them to behave in the world by using three metaphors: salt, light, and a city.
Salt and Light
- Salt
- Preservative
- Monastic houses preserved learning through the Middle ages by tirelessly copying and preserving manuscripts.
- Makes things tasty (this seems to be the main point of what Jesus was saying, v. 13 “lost its taste”)
- Christians are supposed to help make the world a tastier place to be.
- You could take this literally and use your culinary skills, but there are other ways to make the world tastier.
- Some of the greatest works of art and music have been created by Christians over the centuries. Bach, Michaelangelo, Handel.
- Preservative
- Light
- Pierces darkness
- Eusebius of Caesaria writing about a plague in the early 300s “…pestilence and famine, destroyed whole families in a short time, so that one could see two or three dead bodies carried out at once…Every day some [Christians] continued caring for and burying the dead, for there were multitudes who had no one to care for them; others collected in one place those who were afflicted by the famine, throughout the entire city, and gave bread to them all; so that the thing became noised abroad among all men, and they glorified the God of the Christians””
- A Wuhan Pastor recently wrote an anonymous letter encouraging the Christians of the City to be salt and light and asking Christians around the world to pray.
- Christians like William Wilberforce were instrumental in ending the slave trade and many Christians are still correcting injustice around the world.
- Eusebius of Caesaria writing about a plague in the early 300s “…pestilence and famine, destroyed whole families in a short time, so that one could see two or three dead bodies carried out at once…Every day some [Christians] continued caring for and burying the dead, for there were multitudes who had no one to care for them; others collected in one place those who were afflicted by the famine, throughout the entire city, and gave bread to them all; so that the thing became noised abroad among all men, and they glorified the God of the Christians””
- Pierces darkness
Motives
- Why do we do good things? I can think of four basic motives, some good, some not.
- To earn favor with men and with God
- Earning favor with men comes from a sense of pride
- Make ourselve look good and help us to be liked by others
- “[Do a good turn daily] means looking for opportunities to help and then helping, quietly and without boasting.”
- Earning favor with God is a slightly better motive, but based on false assumptions. God already loves you more than you can imagine.
- There is nothing you can do that will make God love you more
- You also can’t outweigh your bad deeds with your good deeds. We are all so trapped in sin that only Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross can cover our sins. Ephesians 2:8–9.
- Earning favor with men comes from a sense of pride
- Sense of obligation or duty – It is the right thing to do
- This is a noble motive, but if that is your only motive you will get burned out.
- In the end, this too is usually about justifying ourselves as “good people”
- Out of thanksgiving to God for his grace
- Not to pay God back, but to say Thank you.
- James 2:17-18.
- To glorify God in the world and point the way to him
- This is what our Gospel passage this morning is talking about. Matthew 5:16.
- Food giveaway. Not only feeding bellies but also feeding souls with God’s word.
What do we Do?
- Let your light shine!
- The light that we shine is not the good things that we do, the light is Jesus!
- John 8:12 “I [Jesus] am the light of the world.”
- All the light (goodness) in this world is God’s light
- As Christians we become conduits of that light. This is why Jesus also says the “you are the light of the world.” he is not contradicting himself.
- As Christians we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, thus we are supposed to be bearers of his light wherever we go.
- “Jesus’ disciples have the kingdom life within them as a living testimony to those in the world who do not yet have the light.”
- The light that we shine is not the good things that we do, the light is Jesus!
- Look around you and consider how you can bring glory to God through your actions.
- “Some Good Turns are big things; saving a human life at the risk of loosing your own… rescue work in floods… service in hurricane-stricken areas… helping to fight a forest fire… working with your patrol on a conservation project… giving younger boys a good time in Cub Scouting by working as a den chief. But Good Turns more often are small things, thoughtful things; helping a child cross the street… clearing trash off the highway… picking up broken glass from the street… telephoning the power company to report a live wire.”
- Where can you add beauty and make this world a better place to live?
- Where can you shine light in the midst of darkness?
- How can you make someone’s day just a bit better?
- Matthew 5:16.
