Many years ago, a well-known Anglican
wrote a book about mission in rural areas in which his main point was based
upon the words of Jesus to his disciples about being salt and light. While there was much in the book that I was
pleased to read, I was unhappy that he presented the two similes as possible
alternatives. Jesus did not say, “You
can be light or salt”. He said, “You are
the salt of the earth. You are the light
of the world” (Matthew 5: 13-16).
The point that he was making was that
rural contexts are such that the subtler influence of salt is probably
preferable to the challenge of light.
Salt is absorbed into the context which it then changes. It is what is sometimes referred to in a
missional sense as ‘presence evangelism’. On the other hand, light is a contrast to
darkness and can sometimes be uncomfortable.
There are two aspects of his argument that I wish to challenge. The first is the premise that salt is less
disturbing.
To an observer, the introduction of salt
when cooking might seem to be having a subtle affect, but that is not the case
as far as the other elements are concerned.
Salt has a chemical and mechanical effect on the other ingredients. The presence of a holy and righteous person
(such as a Christian?) into a group of ungodly people, will always be
disturbing, even if they say nothing.
The second aspect of his argument is the
one about which I feel more strongly. He
presented it is two possible approaches to mission. But we need to be clear that there is no
sense in which there is any option.
Jesus said, “You ARE the salt… You ARE the light…”. When we
become Christians, being salt and light are not optional extras to which we can
sign up if we wish. Whether we are effective salt and light is another matter,
however.
In the days when Jesus spoke these
words, salt was almost certainly used for preservation of food and for bringing
out flavour in cooking (rather than adding flavour). As a preservative, it inhibits the
development of harmful microorganisms.
There is much in the world that is harmful to individuals and
society. Living with such values and
saying nothing is unlikely to do much good.
God expects us to challenge injustice and sin. Salt is added during cooking, primarily
because it has a wonderful way of bringing out flavours. Similarly, even among the worst of people
there are some good qualities, and Christian influence can bring these out.
But too much salt added has a less than
pleasant effect. In this sense the
analogy of salt when considering mission can be every bit as disturbing as
light. The challenge of what Jesus said
was to ensure that we do not lose our salty properties. In 21st Century UK we need to ask
whether Christians are not impacting the world around because the salt is too
often in the salt pot rather than spread around.
The presence of light brings
benefits. I once took a school assembly
with a dirty mark on my forehead. The
children stared but politely said nothing.
Eventually I got a child to tell me what was wrong, and then suggested
that a lack of light in the bathroom meant that I failed to see myself as I
was. Of course, this was a set up and
that was explained to the children. They
took the point. Light can help us see
what is wrong, as well as journey through life safely. If we are the light of the world, then we
need to be shining appropriately inti the world for the benefit of others.
I inherited a torch from the previous
owners of our house. It has a
rechargeable battery. Charged up it
emits a light that can be quite blinding if shone into someone’s face. That would be an inappropriate use of the
torch. On the other hand, it has
annoying habit of the battery running down just when it is needed it. Some Christians are like that. Charged up by attendance at a conference or a
poor course on evangelism, they dazzle others they might wish to win for
Jesus. But then as the influence that
charged them up begins to wane, the light grows dim.
Some Christians are like some
power-saving lamps. They take time to
warm up and give a poor light at the start.
Others are like fluorescent tubes with faulty starters. The flick on and off all the time instead of
giving out a steady light. Still others
are more like the lights on Christmas trees, very attractive and drawing
attention to themselves, but otherwise not much use!
So, the challenge is not to be too
bright and dazzling, not so dim as to be no use, to shine consistently, and to
ensure that the light shed is helpful to others and does not simply draw
attention to ourselves. And we need to
remember what Jesus said about not hiding our light.
Salt can only loose its saltiness if it
becomes contaminated or overly diluted.
Lights in Jesus’ day depended upon a steady flow of fuel and a clean
wick. In our day, light powered by
electricity can become dim because of dust and dirt, or poor contact with the
power source. Effectiveness in both
similes can only be determined by good outcomes it has on those around us.
Remember these are not alternatives and it
is not optional. Christian disciples ARE both salt and light. The question we need to ask ourselves is how
effective are we? Often the benefit of
salt and light is not recognised until they are absent. I ask myself, if I were not present, or if my
church did not exist, would it make much difference to those around?
Dear
Lord, you called me to yourself so that I might be a light to help others. You know that I do not always shine as
brightly as I should. Sometimes the circumstances around me cause my light to
grow dim just when it is needed to be bright.
Sometimes I neglect to seek to be constantly filled by you, and my own
neglect causes my light to fail. Fill me
afresh, Holy Spirit. Help me to shine as
brightly as needed to give light to others without dazzling the.
Lord,
you have declared that I am the salt of the earth. Help me to be effective,
driving back corruptive influences, bringing healing, and influencing others to
bring the best of taste into your world.
You
know, Lord, that I cannot be in my own strength what I am meant to be. Please
take me as I am, and make me all you would want me to be. Amen
From
the Diary
Give thanks for the blessing of the past
week, for moments of inspiration, and the opportunities to open up God’s word
to bless others. Especially give thanks
for an effective day of teaching at the Salvation Army’s William Booth College,
on the Safeguarding Course
Sunday
22nd – Nottingham Congregational
Church
Tuesday
24th – HMP Gartree
Thursday
26th – Country Way
Magazine Editorial Team
Saturday
28th – East Midlands Area
(Congregational Federation) Meeting
Sunday
29th – HMP Gartree
Please do not underestimate the value of
your prayers day by day. Please keep us
in your prayers asking God to keep us walking close with him and faithful each
day in living out the ministry with which he has entrusted us. Your prayers and support are vital.
May God bless you and make you a
blessing to many through the coming week.
Barry
No comments:
Post a Comment