Gospel Flavoring

February 9, 2020 Matthew 5:13-21 Gospel Flavoring 5th Sunday of Epiphany Year A Repreach of 2/6/11 Children’s Sermon Object: A salt shaker. Lesson: As salt makes a difference in food, we, as Christian people, are called to make a difference in the world. What kinds of foods do you like to put salt on? (Children respond. Acknowledge each response.) We really like to put salt on scrambled eggs and french fries and popcorn. Anything else? French fries without salt taste kind of different, don't they? They taste kind of plain, like something is missing. The same with popcorn. It needs something to spice it up a little. And scrambled eggs, they're just no good without a little salt. Salt spices things up. It adds flavor and taste to foods. It makes a difference to our taste buds. Certain foods just aren't the same without salt. Popcorn without salt; yuck, how boring. The Bible tells us that we are the salt of the earth. That means that those of us who love God are here to make a difference in our world. We are here to add spice to life so that things don't seem so plain or boring. God wants us to spice things up, just by being around other people. Salt is strong. It only takes a little to make a big difference. God wants us to make a difference by sharing our strength. How can we be like salt? We can tell others about Jesus and how much he loves us. We can do nice things for people and we can help those who need us. We can be like salt by standing up for what is right even when everyone else chooses to do wrong. We can share how happy we are that we have Jesus in our lives. We can be like salt in the world by living lives that please God. French fries, eggs, and popcorn just aren't the same without salt, and the world just wouldn't be the same without Christian people to spice it up! Go out and spice up your world this week. God bless you. CSS Publishing Company, A TIME TO PLANT, by Teresa L. Major Stewardship Moment We have been talking about what it means to be generous. The spirit of generosity goes beyond money, but encompasses everything in life. We can be generous with our time or with who we are. Our lesson for this week is how to live a life of purpose on behalf of God. That we should live a life that reflects the light of God. Giving is not just what we give it is the attitude in which we give. Khalil Gibran, a spiritual leader says that bread baked with bitterness feeds but half a persons hunger. It may feed someone physically, but it leaves them spiritually hungry. The bible is filled with stories of people who gave, but who gave with the wrong attitude, and their offering was not accepted. And then there are people like the widow who gave a little, but who gave it earnestly, and was rewarded by Jesus. When we give to the church, do we give freely or out of obligation. Our lesson for today is to follow the example of Jesus, who not only gave freely, but gave everything in love. Scripture Matthew 5:13-20 Common English Bible (CEB) Salt and light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? It’s good for nothing except to be thrown away and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven. Jesus and the Law 17 “Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. 18 I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. 19 Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps these commands and teaches people to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Once upon a time, (which means this is a fairy tale, a made up story from long ago, containing great truth) – Once upon a time, there lived a rich man who had three daughters. He was a little insecure and needed some reassurance one day so he called each of his daughters into his counting house (where he counted all of his money, of course,) and asked each one of them, “Dearest daughter, how much do you love me.” The first to visit his counting chamber was his oldest daughter and she replied, “O Father, I love you more than all the gold in the world.” The father knew that there was a great deal of gold in the world so he was happy with this answer and he gave her some gold coins to spend as she wished. The second daughter came in and was asked the same question. She replied, “O dearest most loving and special Father, the best father ever, I love you more than all of the silver in the world.” And the father was pleased with this answer. He gave her some silver coins so she could order some new dresses which she had been wanting. The third daughter came in and when she was asked the question she paused and then replied, “Father, I love you more than fresh meat loves salt.” The father exploded in a rage and ordered that the daughter be thrown out of the great house and not allowed to return. The servants threw her out of the house with nothing but the clothes on her back and she was left to wander in the woods. She decided to disguise herself so she made clothing out of the rushes she found in the nearby swamp. She knocked on the back door or a large mansion, owned by one of her father’s friends, and asked the servant who answered the door for a job so that she could eat. She would not tell them her name so they called her “Cap O’Rushes” because of her clothing. She was given a job washing the pots and pans and keeping the house clean. She worked very hard and everyone liked her work, but she seldom spoke. One day the servants were all abuzz because a great party was to be given. There was food to prepare, room to clean, silver to polish and lots of other things to do. Cap O’Rushes discovered that her own father was invited. She convinced the cook to let her prepare the meal for her own father, though of course they did not know he was her father. She prepared all of his favourite dishes, but did not use any salt at all. (Remember, this was back when people used a lot of salt and well before blood pressure had been invented.) When the food was brought to him and he began to eat he was most unhappy with the meal and the host ordered the cook be brought to apologize to his guest. The cook brought Cap O’Rushes and explained that she had cooked the meal for this particular guest. “What is the meaning of this”, he demanded. “You have embarrassed me. He says his food is bland and tasteless. Why have you done this to me and to him?” She turned to her father and said simply, “I love you as much as fresh meat loves salt”. He father recognized her and wept in sorrow as he asked for her forgiveness. His other daughters had been nothing but a trial to him and were always wanting more and more fine clothes and jewellery and he realized that this daughter had really loved him a great deal. I think that story is a good demonstration summary of the entire gospel of Jesus Christ. The heart of the gospel is God’s love for us. God loves us more than fresh meat loves salt. The challenge for us in our loves is always how we demonstrate our love for God. In the gospel lesson for today – Matthew 5 – Jesus has just went up on the mountain to talk with all of the people below who are following him and listening them. This is a mixed crowd, some are his committed disciples, some are his fair weather disciples, and some are just interested parties. But the point that Jesus us trying to make to all is what it means to be a righteous person. He is telling what it means and the gifts that God will give to those who are faithful. In verses 13-20 which we read for today he is continuing that conversation, and speaking more about the character of a Christian. It was said that in WWII that in some cities, people were asked to make black curtains to put on their windows, so that when the enemy planes flew overhead, they would not be able to distinguish towns and cities to drop bombs on them. Washington DC was of course very vulnerable to attack, so workers got to work making black curtains for the white house. One of the workers commented however, that it did not make sense to try and camouflage the white house. The white house was such an icon for America, it was so clear to everyone in the world where the white house was, it was such a distinctive house, and was so well advertised, that if someone was looking for it, they would have no problem finding it. There was just no way to hide its identity. In the Isaiah, Jerusalem is called to be the city on a hill. Jerusalem is built on Mount Zion, there is one road up and one road down. it is the city which all people would flock to in order to learn the ways of peace. God calls the church to be the city on the hill, the place where people look for light in a very dark world. Light transforms the situation. Light changes the situation. Light illumines. Light doesn’t hide, but is present. Jesus has the same message for us as Christians. Christianity should be so much a part of who we are, following God should be so much a part of our character, that there was no mistaking who we are. You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. Salt, light, water, fire, are all key ingrediants for our lives. Today, we are told that we are to cut down on our salt intake, but salt is still an important part of our lives. What are some uses of salt ?........ Salt has the properties of flavor, of preserving, of healing, of preventing germs, of cleansing, and many other things. In Jesus’ day salt was also used in cooking. Every house or neighborhood would have had a stove in front of it. The fuel for these stoves would have been animal manure. In order for the manure to burn, they would add salt to it and make it into patties. Once all of the salt burned from the patties, they were no good. The Hebrew word for earth is the same word for an earthen stove. We are the salt used to burn the manure of life. In other words, we have a mission and a purpose as the people of god. As the church we are the body of Christ for the world. Our challenge is to not just be Christ, but to be Christ crucified and resurrected. this is the last sentence of Matthew and it will be my last point. The scribes were professionals, usually priest who had been given the task of putting God’s word into writing. The Pharisee were committed lay people, who committed every part of their lives to God and doing what God said was right. Jesus was saying that they were pretty good people, they were faithful and righteous. Jesus set the bar pretty high for us. They were the best of the best, and we are being called to be even better. They were extraordinary, but we are called to be even more. As Christians we are to give the world an unheard of amount of generosity, love, and understanding. Such as the world has never seen. Your are the salt of the earth, the light of the world. The good news is that we don’t have to do anything or know anything. All we have to do is to love God. From Basement to Craft Fairs Doris was most comfortable when she was busy at work in her secluded spot in the basement of her parents' home. She had been born with a deformed left arm which wasn't of much use to her; hence, she had chosen not to participate in sports nor in the school band. But she had studied art and in that she excelled. Her quiet personality stemmed partly from her physical impairment and partly because she hadn't received much encouragement to excel in anything. But she did have her little workshop in the basement, where she spent a good deal of her time. She cherished the hours spent there because she was doing the one thing she felt confident she could do well -- painting. Yet even her parents weren't much aware of -- nor appreciative of -- her growing artistic ability. During her last two years in high school and the two years following graduation, she devoted increasing time to oil and acrylic still life paintings. As she looked out of the basement half windows at the familiar Wisconsin countryside, she captured ever more vividly the seasonal changes and the varieties that nature offered. The completed unframed canvasses were standing in ever thickening rows beyond her little nook in the basement. Doris' secret talent was clouded by only one fact -- she was the only person who knew about it. That is, until her favorite cousin Denise came to visit. Denise was quite the opposite of Doris -- a bubbly personality, outgoing and adventurous. She hadn't seen Doris since her high school graduation and now Denise had come to spend a week with her. Doris would not have shown her cousin all those canvasses stacked in the basement, but Denise's inquisitive nature soon led her to the dozens of paintings that stood facing the walls. "Doris, where did these paintings come from?" Denise asked, remembering that Doris had taken a few art classes in high school. "Did you do this wonderful work?" Denise asked with her hands on her hips. "They're nothing special," Doris tried to apologize. "Wrong! They're marvelous!" Denise argued. She spent the next half hour quickly going through one stack after another, while Doris stood by a bit embarrassed. "Doris, you need to get these paintings out where people can see them and buy them," Denise pleaded. "People will buy good paintings like these." Doris demurred, offering timid apologies for the paintings and her talent. But Denise would have none of it. "There's arts and crafts shows everywhere during these summer months, and I'm going to help you get these paintings out where people can see them," Denise challenged. And for the next few weeks there was no stopping Denise. She extended her visit beyond her original plans. "I don't have a job yet anyway for the summer," she rationalized. "I want you to sign your name to every one of these paintings," she instructed Doris. After four weekend arts and crafts shows, more than two dozen of Doris' paintings had been sold. As she and Denise headed back to Doris' home on a Sunday evening, Doris reflected the warmth of her feelings as she admitted, "I guess people do like my stuff." "Well, like I said, you have to get it out where people can see it," Denise commented as she gave her cousin a hug. Merle G. Franke, Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit, Cycle A Ann Landers printed a story a few years ago from a lady who had attempted suicide. She lay unconscious for three days before the police found her and took her to the hospital. But they went above and beyond the call of duty by calling her every day and once she returned home they would visit her and bring her cards and flowers on a regular basis. They went out of their way to show kindness and love. We are not all called to be police, or nurses, or firemen. We are not all called to have to faith of the scribes or Pharisees. But Jesus point is that whomever we are, and whatever we are doing, we are called to show compassion and to go out of our way to express it. That is what being a Christian is all about. God loves you, how to you show the love of God in your life? Let us pray….. Additional Illustrations Sermon Opener - Let My Little Light Shine - Matthew 5:13-20 There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn't won a game in eight weeks. A critical member of the press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting rotation. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible. Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. "I'd like to speak with you, Don," he said. Sutton prepared himself for the worst. "Don," said Alston, "I know how the past couple of months have been for you. Everyone's wondering whether we can make it to the play-offs . . . You know there's a lot of pressure . . . I've had to make a decision." Sutton had visions of being taken off the mound. Then Alston continued. "If the Dodgers are going to win this year," he said, looking Sutton in the eye, "they're going to win with Don Sutton pitching. Come what may, you're staying in the starting job. That's all I wanted to say." Sutton's losing streak lasted two more weeks, but because of his manager's encouragement he felt different about it. Something in him was turning around. He found himself pitching the best ball of his career. In the National League pennant drive, he won 13 games out of 14. (1) There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. We can do it through guilt, through fear, through shame. But these were not Jesus' methods. Jesus motivated through positive messages of hope and encouragement. Consider our lesson for today. Jesus says to his followers, "You are the light of the world. . . ." Can you imagine that? Here was a motley crew of farmers and fishermen and tax collectors and housewives in a tiny and remote village in an obscure part of the world and Jesus was saying to them, "You are the light of the world." Talk about a statement of faith! Let's go farther than that. Talk about a crazy idea! Light of the world? That bunch? It must have sounded absurd at the time even to them. Only Jesus could have seen that through this motley crew God would indeed change the world forever. At the time, however, it probably sounded like so much idle chatter. "You are the light of the world," he said and so they were. Now do you want to hear something really absurd? So are we. Jesus says to us this morning that WE are the light of the world. Think about that for a moment. Sink your teeth into it savor it. You and I are the light of the world. What does it mean? Well, let me suggest some possibilities. 1. We Have a Responsibility for the World. 2. We Have Something the World Desperately Needs. 3. We Are Not the Source of Our Light, but We Reflect a Much Greater Light. Turn On the Lights! - Matthew 5:13-20 Wauconda is a small village in the state of Illinois. For over 40 years the town had placed two large illuminated crosses on the city water towers during the Christmas season. Until one year when the town council received a threat of legal suit if the crosses were continued, based on the separation of church and state. The town council grudgingly took them down. But that's when the citizens of Wauconda took matters into their own hands. They decided to place lighted reminders of Christ on their own property. So, allover the community, up went crosses and nativity stars and lighted manger scenes and trees. You could see Wauconda from the interstate freeway! You could see Wauconda a hundred miles away. All night it was as bright as day because the people decided to turn on the lights. In our scriptural text for this morning, Jesus is urging us to turn on the lights. Each of us is supposed to shine for Christ's sake. Our light is not like that of the sun. Our light resembles that of the moon; it is a reflected light, from the Christ-spirit who lives within us. We care supposed to shine that other persons might see that light and give glory, not to us, but to the Lord who illuminates us. Think for a moment how Jesus' first-century audience would have understood his words. The typical home in Palestine was very dark with only one circular window perhaps not more than eighteen inches across. Lamps were essential. The typical lamp was nothing more than a bowl of oil with a wick floating in it. It was not easy to light lamps; remember, this was before the age of matches. Therefore, lamps were kept burning continuously. And, when the family was sleeping or was out, an earthen bushel container was placed over the lamp so that nothing would catch on fire. But when the family was at home and awake, the lamp was placed high on a stand so that all corners of the room would have some light. The essential message this scripture has for us today is this: A Christian must reflect Christ as surely as the moon reflects the sun. Our task is to illuminate a dark world with the reflected light of Christ, always giving him the glory. I believe that our Lord is calling us to turn on some lights in three particular ways: 1. By pledging, ambitiously, our time, talent, and money 2. By setting a good example 3. By your witness Changing the World It was during the early days of television. A workman was placing television transmitters at the very top of the Empire State building in New York City. Seeing him at work up there, so far off the ground, a reporter thought this would make a fascinating human interest story. So, when the workman had completed his task and had returned to the ground, the reporter approached him and asked, “Aren’t you frightened to work under conditions like that that? Isn’t it dangerous to work so high off the ground?” The workman replied, “Yes sir, it is dangerous.” Then he added, “But then, how many people can say that they have changed the skyline of a city like New York!” God offers us the privilege of changing the skyline not of a city, but of the world. We can help make this world healthier, more humane, more harmonious, and more blessed. God made a good world. Now He wants us to help Him make it good again. We can do that. By God’s grace, we really can do that. If we can, surely we must. James McCormick, Selected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Parable of the Three Candles Three children carried their candles home from church. Each thought of it preciously in relationship to the commitment made in the beautiful Candle Light Service. One had not even lit the candle in order to keep it good as new. The other had let the candle burn during the service and carried it forth still lit from the church, but it blew out at the doorway. The third blew out his candle and took it home and lit it a number of times during the year until it was burned down into the dish. "Look," said Mary. "after ten months have passed, I still have my candle as good as new. I was smarter than the others. John's is all burned up and Eddie's just lays in the drawer half used up. Who's the smartest, mother?" "I don't know," replied the mother. "Candles are made to be used. They give forth their light for whatever the user decides. Who can say what John was thinking, as he did his work with the lighted candle, and who knows how Eddie feels, when he opens his drawer and sees the candle. We are meant to use our lives being helpful to others and; whether you light a candle or don't use candles, there is a spiritual light that should be in you and which should shine out to make others happy. It is not how big your candle is, but how you use the light that it gives." Read St Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Illustration, www.Sermons.com