Homily
by The Rev. Marcia McRae
St.
Francis Episcopal Church, Goldsboro, NC; 5th
Sunday after Epiphany, 5 Feb. 2017
RCL
Year A: Isaiah
58:1-9a, (9b-12); Psalm 112:1-9, (10); Corinthians 2:1-12, (13-16);
Matthew 5:13-20
Jesus
says:
“You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world.”
Paul
says:
We are the mind of Christ. When, where, how?
Notice,
Jesus says: You ARE the salt. You ARE the light.2
Paul says we HAVE the mind of Christ. When
is NOW.
This
is your/our state of being NOW, not something over & done, not
something yet-to-be in this bitter, darkened world.
You/We
are this trinity of life enhancers NOW.
This
sounds challenging. Remember: it takes only a little salt to make a
big difference in a recipe, as
sermons4kids notes about today's Gospel.3
As salt, we help enhance life for our brothers & sisters in the
human family.
In
the dark, a little flashlight helps us see. As light, we participants
in the Jesus Movement, shine God's love in darkened lives. Having
Jesus in our lives enhances the world around us, the lives we touch.
We
know hatred & bitterness exist trying to block the light of God's
love. We know what this looks like: We see it in our news. What we
don't usually see in our news is the Good News: We/you DO
shine light in this sometimes darkened world.
Think
of the respect for human dignity & the smiles you offer at the
Soup Kitchen, engaging in conversations with & listening to God's
children as we serve.
This
is just one of many ways you shine God's light of love.
Isaiah
tells us:
When we act as God calls us to act, our light rises in the darkness.
God guides us, satisfies our needs, makes us strong, makes us like a
watered garden...Then we rebuild...ruins, repair damage so where we
are is
a place of life where people can
live.
I
wonder if we are so used to doing this, we don't recognize the
positive impact we have. How do we do this?
Isaiah
says
we do this when we loose
the bonds of injustice, let the oppressed go free, share our bread
with the hungry, bring the homeless into our house, cover the naked,
& not hide ourselves from our own kin. [Some of us know about
hiding from our own kin!]
Who
is our kin? Some are sitting here. God's family is large &
includes all our brothers & sisters in the human family.
What
happens
when we do as God wants us to do, when we offer holy hospitality?
Isaiah says: our
light shines.
Why
should our light shine? Jesus says: so others may see
your good works & give
glory to God.
We do this for the glory of God, our Father in heaven. We do this for
our brothers & sisters to see & know God's love up close &
personal.
Human
charity, compassion, shining the Light of God in darkness comes to us
through the Holy Spirit. St. Paul tells us:
Your faith rests not on human wisdom but on the power of God. You
have
received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from
God, so that you may
understand the gifts given us by God.
What
God gives us is a gift for us to use & share.
We
have the mind of Christ. This makes it possible for us to shine our
light where we are. Jesus says:
You are the light of the world...No one after lighting a lamp puts it
under a basket, but on the lamp stand, so it gives light to all in
the house...let your light shine, so...[others] may see your good
works & give glory to your Father in heaven.”
“This
little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of
mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna
let it shine.
Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine.”
Are
you gonna “Hide it under a bushel?”
“NO!
I'm gonna let it shine.”
[Congregation
joins in singing.]
How
do you keep your light shining? How do you recharge God's light
within you?
Sharing Holy Communion with your Brothers & Sisters
here is one way to recharge this light so you can shine!
Ponder
this as you prepare to come to God's Holy Table for refreshment &
strength.
Bibliography
Bowron, Josh. “You are the Salt of the Earth, Epiphany 5(A) – February 5, 2017”. Accessed: 31 Jan. 2017. http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2017/01/11/you-are-the-salt-of-the-earth-epiphany-5a-february-5-2017/
Dios Habla Hoy: La
Biblia. 2da
Ed. Nueva York:
Sociedad Bíblica
Americana. 1983.
Holy Bible with the
Apocrypha. New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford
University Press, 1989.
Jewish Study Bible:
Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation. New York: Oxford
University Press. 2004.
New Oxford Annotated
Bible with the Apocrypha. Eds: Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger.
New York: Oxford University Press, Incorporated,
1977.
“Plugged
in and Turned on for Jesus”.
http://www.sermons4kids.com/pluggedin.html
Accessed: 5 Feb. 2017.
2
The Rev. Josh Bowron,
rector of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Charlotte, NC. “You are
the Salt of the Earth...”.
http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw/2017/01/11/you-are-the-salt-of-the-earth-epiphany-5a-february-5-2017/
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