A sermon
preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 9 February 2014 by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings
that day were Isaiah 58:1–11; 1 Corinthians
2:1–12 and Matthew 5:13–20.
Opening prayer:
God of love and grace, may your Word guide us to walk
in your light and truth. Inspire us to understand more deeply of your Word, and
strengthen our heart to do your will.
May the word of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable to you, my God and redeemer of the world. Amen.
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus continued his
teaching from the collection of verses from his Sermon on the Mount. He told the
people who were listening to him that “you are the salt of the earth and the
light of the world.”
Salt was valuable in Jesus’ time. It was even used as a
means of exchange at the time. Salt in Latin is sal. The word salary—s-a-l-a-r-y—is taken from it.
Salt today is no longer expensive, but it is essential
to our day-to-day life. We use it often for cooking. Salt helps our food taste better.
Our body also needs it to maintain our energy and a good balance of essential minerals.
Meanwhile, light is required when we are in a dark room, and we need to do something or need to find
a way out. Moreover, light, as a metaphor, has been widely used in the Biblical
message as a sign of help, love and hope to people. Jesus also claimed himself
as the “light of the world.”
Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the salt of the
earth and the light of the world.”
Jesus used the metaphors of salt and light to teach
his disciples about their mission on earth.
Last week I heard bad news from Indonesia: 14 people died during a volcanic eruption
of Mount Sinabung in North
Sumatra. Out of these 14 people,
seven of them were members of the Indonesian Student
Christian Movement, or SCM. Our sisters Sunita and Nina from KUC are working with the World Christian Student Federation in the Asia-Pacific regional office. Sunita is the regional secretary, and Nina is the former secretary-general of the Indonesian
Student Christian Movement. They have been very shocked and upset by this tragedy. They shared with me that these students were there as part of an emergency relief program for the
refugees living near the volcano. Out of kindness, the students went to the field
to inform the farmers to leave as they knew the eruption was coming soon. Unfortunately, they did not manage to leave before
the eruption. They have sacrificed their lives. They are so young. They are
only in their early 20s.
It is, indeed, very sad to
see these young people gone. It is a tragedy.
When we look at the brave
and loving act of these young people to the poor farmers who were at risk, however,
they had served the Lord as salt of the earth and light of the world. The students did not hide their light from others.
They did not hold back to help others even at the risk of losing their own
lives.
Jesus said, “Let your light
shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father in heaven.”
These students are the
light shining before their people and us today so that we all see their good
work and give glory to God in heaven.
I trust in God that these students did not die for
nothing. I trust that their sacrifice will light up hope in their community and
in those who are in need of help and support.
Some people may think these students are silly. But I
am touched by their good hearts. I am proud of them. I am also happy for the
people in Indonesia
because there is love among them. There are people willing to give their lives
for the sake of others. Their sacrifice has revealed the radical love which is
from God, not from the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is our Lord,
our brother and our friend, also suffered and died for his people and the whole
world. Jesus Christ is the light of the world who gives hope and peace to all. The
life of the students is the light of the world bringing hope to their immediate
community of the SCM and their country and bringing glory and honour to God.
I am not here to justify sacrifice. I am here to
glorify love and people’s willingness to give, even in a time of danger. This is the lesson we can learn
from these young students.
To be salt and light in serving God’s Kingdom, there
is a price to pay, and we need to be prepared for paying this price. Jesus
Christ, who is the light of the world, has paid this price before us, and for
us, as he sacrificed and died on the cross.
This point is
the key message of the Apostle Paul, a faithful
servant of Christ in the early church, that was also shared with us in today’s epistle
reading.
He said to his brothers and sisters in the church in Corinth, “For I decided
to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
The Apostle Paul in his New Testament message proclaimed the
crucifixion of Jesus. He did not stress the power and success of Christ; for unlike
many preachers today, Paul did not preach about the faith of success, the faith of prosperity and the good life. Rather, Paul
emphasized that God’s people should live a life rooted in God’s spirit but not
the world’s spirit.
We must also remember today
that the Apostle Paul lived in a world
full of challenges for Christians as they were a minority community during his era.
Christians in his time faced harsh persecution. Paul himself had been put in
jail several times, but he did not lose hope. He even sang songs of praise to
God and rejoiced in the Holy Spirit when he was in prison.
No, Christians have a different definition of good
life, one that is instilled from the perspective of God.
A good life for Christians is a life of deep joy and
peace, a life of living in the deep love of God. To be salt of the earth and
the light of world may not bring to us worldly prosperity and success, but we will
be healed and be at peace with God and with ourselves and with our world.
Let us hear again the Word of God taken from the Book
of Isaiah 58:6–9. This is
a great encouragement and promise from God.
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of
the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.”
In Isaiah 58:10-12, the scripture adds:
“If you offer your food to the hungry and
satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many
generations;
you shall be called the repairers of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.”
To link what Jesus taught his disciples, the Prophet
Isaiah in his message also reminds us that to be the light of the world is to
do justice by setting people free, to love and care for the poor by offering
food and shelter. We will then lead a good life, not only for ourselves, but
also for our family, our church community, our society, our nation, our whole world.
Salt is a common thing, but
it is essential in our lives. All of us have different gifts. No matter how
small they may seem to us to be, if we use them with a big heart, they will
bring benefits to others and glory to our Lord God.
Sisters and brothers, I invite you to live a
meaningful life and have a bright future by being the salt of the earth and the
light of the world.
Sisters and brothers, come together, let the Spirit of
God guide us.
Sisters and brothers, come together, let our light
shine. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, February 09, 2014
