February 5, 2023: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen.
The Gospel for today is a familiar passage, especially to those of us who happen to still own a copy of the soundtrack to Godspell, or who spent many youthful summers at Vacation Bible School singing “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!” Following on the heels of the beatitudes, this is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.
He says “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.” Well, most winters, save this one (thankfully), there is a whole lot of salt being trampled under foot all over driveways and walkways here in NJ. But, that’s probably not what Jesus had in mind.
Actually salt, or sodium chloride, was an important compound even more so then, as it is now, but oddly enough…it cannot lose it’s “saltiness.” It doesn’t degrade over time. But, it can be mixed up with other substances, and it was not unheard of in that time for unsavory merchants (pun intended) to dilute the salt with other substances to increases profits, but in essence, making the salt useless. So, Jesus is warning us not to be diluted, but to keep focused on our purpose.
And what is that purpose?
Well, he tells you.
He continues saying, “You are the light of the world,” imploring us to let our “light shine before others.”
What does that mean, to be the “light of the world?”
Now, we have been fortunate this winter, with the milder weather, (though Lordy it was really, really cold these past few days, right). Yet winter is a time when we seem to value light even more than at any other time of the year in our hemisphere. Even if you don’t suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, I doubt there are many of us that don’t want to stay close to firelight, candlelight, and any other kind of light that cuts through the darkness and warms our heart.
But the real purpose of light is to illuminate, to overcome darkness – not for itself – but for whatever is around it. The primary function of light is not to be seen itself, but to let other things be seen. Light does not exist for its own sake, but to reveal what we cannot otherwise be seen in the darkness.
Jesus is telling us that we are the light that will serve to reveal God’s unconditional grace and love. And, when we lose sight of that, we become as effective and purposeful as diluted salt.
And so all of this was coming to my heart and mind as we gathered together for Diocesan Convention these past few days. After this long pandemic, it was so good to be able to meet, to worship, to engage with one another again. There is nothing like hundreds of Episcopalians singing and sharing the Eucharist together – thanks be to God for all of that!
One theme that kept breaking through this convention was something our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Carlye J. Hughes, told us on the first night. She spoke about geese. Yes, geese – and how they fly in formation. Apparently, scientists have determined a couple of things about those geese in that sky high V we all observe loudly flying above us. How they determined this, I don’t know. Maybe they interviewed a few of them?
First, they can fly long distances like that, sometimes as long as 1,700 miles! My arms get tired thinking about that. Anyway, we all can readily see there is a lead goose, but it isn’t always the same goose leading the way. They rotate in and out depending on who feels called, in a sense, to lead, while others leverage the downdraft of the geese in front to fly a little easier when needed. And we certainly hear the honking from miles away. Scientists say that it is the geese in the back that are doing all the honking.
And this is where it gets really interesting, because, as Bishop Hughes explained, there is the thought that these honkers are basically saying to those ahead of them “Hey! You got this!! You are doing a great job! Keep it up… we have your back! Look at you go!!!” Fly on, you got this!!! Now, how awesome is that to have people who fly with you – cheering you on, affirming your call as head goose, lifting you up, and the like?
The other part of that honking though helps the other geese, especially the head goose, know something important too: Are we all still together? Does the honking sound too far away? Do we need to slow down? So, listening is important if we are to be successful in our journey.
Lastly, if a goose begins to feel ill, two other geese will fly down to the ground with it until it either feels better, or it dies. Whichever way it goes, they then either return with the recovered goose, or as just the two of them, back to the skies. If they can catch up to their former flock, they rejoin it, if not, they find another group, and fly with them. Because it isn’t about a particular group, it’s about the journey.
And after all we have been through these past few weeks – the death of Tyre Nichols, the many, many, many mass shootings, the attack on our local synagogue, and so much more, I kept thinking about the passages for today and those geese.
We need to be loud and have our voices heard like those geese in the back do, being sure that we are lifting one another up as we journey together – forging a new path toward a future that is good for all of our flock. And to be absolutely clear – our flock – isn’t this parish. It is the same flock that Jesus had – it is all of God’s children – every single person on this earth – that is our flock.
There’s another thing about those loud honking geese – that’s a great metaphor for the light Jesus was telling us to be in the world. The passage in Isaiah this morning started with “Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!” Well – if we are ever going to shine the light of God’s all inclusive love, we need to begin with being a light that exposes the injustice in our midst.
If we are ever going to make the full journey toward the beloved community we are called to be, then we must honk as long and as loud as we can along our way until we bring those walls of hate down and build bridges of love in their place.
Sometimes we need to be the lead goose as we are able – leading others toward a brighter future – being that light of Christ shining the path ahead – helping others to step back and fly a little easier in our downdraft. Listening deeply to be sure no one is left behind.
Sometimes we need to step back, rest our wings a bit, and follow others forward, cheering them on.
And we sometimes are the guardian geese, the ones who stay with another goose in need. We must stand alongside those who are marginalized, oppressed, living in fear, dying emotionally, spiritually, and physically. That is being the salt of the earth – we fly down with them – stay by their side protecting them – letting them know they are not alone.
That is why so many of you were there with me at the Vigil this past Thursday at Temple Ner Tamid – being guardian geese. We were not going to allow our Jewish sisters and brothers to stand alone after a Molotov cocktail was throw at their place of worship in an effort to hurt them, to make them afraid.
No, we stood alongside them – and we were not alone! The news reported over 1,000 people, 300 of them standing outside in the cold, others in a spillover room, after the main space was filled to capacity. That is how we fly together! That is how we ensure that no one stands alone.
Folks, we have some serious flying to do if we are ever going to get to our destination of God’s dream for us and for all of creation – forging a path forward, acting as guardians to those in need, and being loud trumpets that proclaim that all people are loved by God just as they are – no matter the color of their skin, how they worship, what language they speak, who they love, how much money they have (or don’t have), what physical or mental abilities or challenges they have, or how they vote. No one gets left behind in the great flock of God’s creation.
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
Not ever.
Because we will always shout out in support of those leading the way.
We will always fly beside those who need us.
We will always allow Christ’s light – burning in us and through us – to lead the way forward toward God’s dream of shalom, of peace, for us all.
Amen.
For the audio, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here (also available on Audible):
The Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Episcopal Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
February 5, 2023
Fifth Sunday After The Epiphany – Year A
First Reading – Isaiah 58:1-9a, (9b-12)
Psalm 112:1-9, (10)
Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16)
Gospel – Matthew 5:13-20
