I came across this article yesterday in the New York Times, an article that points to the corruption than can do terrible damage to human beings as well as to the institution of the church. But wisely, the author makes us well aware that the church is much more than its leaders. Krugman is referring to the Roman Catholic Church. But what he says is true about any organized church.

We Christians are sinners, sure enough. When power collides with sin one of the effects is corruption and abuse. This has always been the case, and it is always offensive and it is always unjust. Krugman does not mince any words about this. But he says that the true breadth and depth of the church is not in its official leaders. It is in the average, everyday people who are about the work of Jesus in everyday life, sometimes in dangerous circumstances. These everyday people, with no glamour or glory, have the power of ministering in Jesus’ name in deed, perhaps more than in words. If you click on the article link you will read about nuns and priests that are living in the middle of the Sudan, trying to help the people there gain a foothold on life in the midst of their suffering.

There are stories about all sorts of Christians doing this kind of work, in all sorts of countries, in all sorts of places, right here in the United States, in Kentucky and Indiana. It’s just that we don’t know most of these stories because they are without glamour or glory. They are folks who are salt and light.

In Matthew 5 we read:

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. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In 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.

Salt adds a taste that is pleasing, and it enhances the flavor of so many foods. This is one thing Jesus tells us we are: we make things taste good. Of course, I can easily make a reference to our church pitch-ins, and all the labor that goes into those wonderful dishes is salt itself. The commitment and time receive no glamour or glory, but they do make life taste better when people can gather together and share in a fellowship and a feast. We make life taste better for others when we demonstrate Christ’s love anywhere we go: sports events, school, work, visiting family and friends, running errands.

Light hangs in the air. It seems to have no substance, but it makes all the difference in a house that is dark. When the light is turned on, we can find our way, see each other, read, or tend to tasks. We don’t light a lamp and then hide it: we light the lamp so that the light finds its way into every dark corner.

If we are salt and light like these nuns and priests, like Christians of every time and place, then we too are about the work of bringing flavor and light to those around us. We might not be noticed for what we do. But then, it seems that Jesus isn’t so concerned that we get attention. Jesus seems more concerned that the world God loves is a world where the good news is made concrete for everyone, a place where everyone gets a taste and a glimpse of Christ’s love for them.

Blessings to you all, who are salt and light,

Michelle

~ by admin on May 3, 2010.

Posted in Monday Morning Meditation, Spirituality, Faith, and Ethics