Matthew 5:11-16
By: Margaret Ellsworth
In college I lived in a house with five of my closest friends and would often trade off cooking meals. I was probably the least gifted chef among us – I could boil water for pasta just fine, or painstakingly measure out the ingredients for a written recipe, but that was about it.
This means I often ended up watching and helping in the kitchen as one of my friends prepared a meal. I remember one night hanging out in the kitchen with my friend Melissa, who was making us some sautéed kale and peanut sauce. (Just writing this up is making my mouth water.)
As I watched her cook, I was surprised to see her sprinkling salt on the kale leaves sautéing in the pan. Salt to me was for popcorn, chips, and mashed potatoes, and maybe the occasional plate of bland steak. Veggies and salt, to me, seemed like an odd combination.
“You can’t leave out the salt,” Melissa told me. “It brings out the flavors.” She explained that whatever tastes were already present in the food, the salt amplified and made even more delicious.
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” If Melissa is right, and salt is meant to bring out the flavors of what is already there, then perhaps we are called to bring out the God flavors in the world – to call attention to the goodness of the world and its Creator.
Jesus follows up his talk about salt with another analogy: “You are the light of the world. … Let your light so shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Just as salt brings out the flavors of the food, so does light enable us to see the world around us. During this Lenten season, we try once more to figure out what it means to walk the path of Jesus. How then can we bring out the God flavors of the world around us, make the God colors visible to those who know us?
Jesus suggests “good works,” acts of service, big or small: making dinner for a struggling friend or simply remembering to thank the weary baristas and bus drivers who serve you and others each day. These may seem overly simple or “worldly” things to do, but after all, it’s this world that we have been called into. You don’t just grab a spoonful of salt to eat by itself. Salt is meant to be mixed with food. It needs flavors to bring out! So we’re needed in the world, where we are now. This Lent, may we be on the lookout for the good God is doing in the world – and may we be ready to be part of that good work ourselves.
Loving God, who made the world and called it good: Give us grace to taste and see your work in the world around us, and help us make your goodness visible. Amen.