5 Epiphany, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
5 Epiphany, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Isaiah 58:1-12 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Matthew 5:13-20
In the name of the one, holy, and loving God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
When Jesus finishes the Sermon on the Mount,
he continues addressing the disciples saying:
“You are the salt of the earth…
“You are the light of the world….”
Given Jesus’ clarity on the matter,
perhaps we should spend a little time fleshing that out!
After all,
we, too, are Jesus’ disciples.
Spiritual writer Debie Thomas remarks on the significance of salt to Jesus’ first listeners:
“Until fairly recently in human history,
salt was one of the most sought-after commodities.
“The ancients believed that salt would ward off evil spirits.
Religious covenants were often sealed with salt.
“Salt was used for medicinal purposes,
to disinfect wounds,
check bleeding,
stimulate thirst,
and treat skin diseases….” (from Why Does Salt Matter? )
While salt may have been a sought-after commodity in the ancient world,
I think it was no less sought-after over the past 10 days in these here mountains!
I certainly went from store to store before last weekend’s snowstorm looking for salt!
So, when Jesus calls his listeners “the salt of the earth,”
he is saying something profound.
“You are the salt of the earth.”
It also strikes me that salt does no good if it just sits in a container on the countertop
or tucked away in a cabinet.
Salt’s properties are only effective if they are in relation to another substance.
I remember my mother telling me to gargle with salt water when I had a sore throat.
The salt, dissolved in water,
when it made contact with my throat, would do 2 things:
It would work to clean or disinfect my throat of whatever impurities lurked there,
and it would work to heal the rawness of my throat.
My brother once suggested when I had no salt, that I gargle with whiskey…
It did not work,
and I don’t recommend it.
But the salt…
the salt served to purify and to heal.
Salt can also be transformational.
Salt can speed up the process of turning ice to water…
something most helpful if you are trying to walk or drive on solid ground
without breaking a hip or getting into a wreck.
When Jesus makes the declaration,
and it is a declaration…
not merely a suggestion or a possibility such as “sometime when you might be salt…”
…when Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth,”
Jesus is telling his disciples that they are agents of healing and transformation.
He is telling us the same thing.
He continues…
“if salt has lost its taste,
how can its saltiness be restored?”
Effectively, it cannot.
“It is no longer good for anything,
but is thrown out and trampled under foot.”
When we are the salt shaker tucked away in the recesses of the cabinet,
we are of no use.
It’s kind of like putting a lit lamp under a bushel basket…
it’s of no use.
After declaring the disciples to be salt and light,
Jesus then proceeds to say that he comes to fulfill the law and the prophets.
At first glance it seems that maybe Jesus hit a piece of ice
and slid off on some angular tangent,
but when we look at it further,
I think it makes perfect sense.
The law was established to give God’s people direction
in how to love God, others, oneself, and the whole of creation.
The prophets’ words served the same purpose when people got off track.
Jesus’ teaching, preaching, and life witness
are all pointing us in the direction of God’s love and merciful justice.
And Jesus bids us to come and follow.
We are salt,
and we are light.
And we are to use these properties for the healing of the world...
to reconcile ourselves with God, with each other, and with the whole of creation.
Through Isaiah’s prophecy
we are called to stop pointing the finger and speaking evil.
We are called to feed the hungry,
satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
clothe the naked,
and bring the homeless poor into our own house.
When we do these things,
our light will shine forth like the dawn,
and we will find healing for ourselves.
You see,
our own healing is bound up with the healing of our neighbor!
That is because we are one Body.
When we respect and honor the dignity of our neighbor,
we respect and honor the dignity of ourselves.
Our being in right and loving relationship with God and our neighbor and ourselves
goes beyond tending to the letter of the law.
We are tending to God’s image within ourselves and each other.
Sometimes it is very clear when we are tending to the needs of our neighbor.
Other times, we are unaware.
This past Wednesday when I arrived at the church,
the Sherman House parking lot was covered with snow.
It was mostly squishy,
but some parts were icy and slick.
I shoveled off the front steps and the walkway to the back door.
The little lot was mostly clear already,
but I finished it off.
Folks would be arriving for the ecumenical pastors’ Bible study in 45 minutes.
I didn’t have time to clear the Sherman House lot,
but I figured folks could park either on the street or in the little lot.
One of the pastors arrived a few minutes late and shared her story with us as an example
of God’s light shining through someone else.
She had parked in the Sherman House lot despite the snow.
She was gingerly walking across the lot
when she saw someone else leaving the parking lot.
This other person offered her a walking stick,
which she refused because she was almost to the street.
She appreciated the offer of help,
but what really touched her was that this person waited and watched her
until she safely made it all the way up to the front door.
That made this pastor feel loved and protected in God’s love
as extended by another.
“You are the salt of the earth….
“You are the light of the world.”
We have many opportunities to be salt and light in this world,
and sometimes we may not even realize it.
But, if we are always walking in God’s love
and extending that love to others,
then we are acting as agents of God’s healing.
And the world needs as much healing as she can get right now…
as do we.
Amen.
