Fiftn Sunday of Epiphany: Salt and Light

This is the Fifth Sunday of Epiphany

The season of Epiphany gives us the opportunity to still be surprised by Jesus.

Today, we’re going to read an unusual analogy that Jesus places on his followers regarding the kinds of people they are called to be.  

WE ARE CALLED TO BRING OUT THE GOD-FLAVORS AND LIGHT THE WAY

Matthew 15:13-20

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

• Just after the Beatitudes, Jesus offers up something interesting. 
• He wants his followers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 
• Salt enhances the flavors of what it is seasoning, but it has to be salty.  
• Light pushes back the darkness and gives others the chance to see better.  

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,[a] not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks[b] one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What Jesus is teaching is something bigger and more inclusive.

The vocation of the Church is to embody the Gospel along with proclaiming it.  We bring out the God-flavors in the world and light the way to truth, beauty, and goodness.  

There’s a prerequisite to all of this… If you are going to bring out God-flavors, you need to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” and believe that the light within you is powerful enough to dispel the darkness.   

Just like on Jesus' Day, we are living in times when salt and light are exactly what we need to be.  

Some Important Questions

• What keeps us from living into our calling as salt and light?
• What can we do to bring out the God-flavors in the world?
• What does shining the light of the world look like in our culture?

WE ARE CALLED TO BRING OUT THE GOD-FLAVORS AND LIGHT THE WAY