You are the salt of the Earth and the light of the world

Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

I just love the beatitudes and the lessons in them. Today I went to a new church for me and the lesson was taught on these verses and it was so inspiring and relevant and timely. The pastor essentially said that followers of Christ live in bubbles. It is inside those bubbles that we cast judgment on the folk of the world who are not saved or church goers. The pastor also pointed out that empirically the only difference between church going believers and those not; is that goers own more Bibles. Goers are just as likely to lie, cheat, steal, harm and act in deceitful ways. Goers do tend to give more to faith based charity too but that’s about it.

Interestingly enough when we believers go into the world we tend to try awkward attempts at getting the world into our churches. We tend not to befriend first but ask and invite first which tends to put the none church attendee off. In fact often it makes them run away very quickly. So in very broad terms I began to think about the church that I’m a member of and the difficulties there now.

The church where I am a member is in crisis. Attendance is falling, people come but they don’t stay. I’m a prime example. There are individuals who are members of my church who I love and cherish but the larger church didn’t invite me in or engage me. They asked my spiritual inventory and then ignored it. They tried to plug me into areas where I have no passion, like hospitality and the board of trustees; where I still sit; but not for long. My passions revolve around singing, acting, visual arts, writing, teaching and preaching. All of those passions were ignored and dismissed. It was made very clear that my round peg wasn’t going to be put into my round hole and so I lost interest.

So, roughly a year after becoming a member of my church, I’m looking for a new one. A church closer to home, one where my round peg will be placed in my round hole and my faith passions can be explored. I know soon enough that I’m going to write a letter of resignation to my church. I think in it I will have to be open, honest and forthright with them and tell them exactly why I no longer feel lead to attend or be a member of their congregation. I approach this action with trepidation and when examining the action feel my light flicker. My church was very much a part of my recovery from years of self destructive behavior.

I love the members and the pastor of the church where I’m a member. They helped me discover that I am worthy and loved and most importantly I am capable of chaste love. They helped me discover that the living God not only lives in me but in all people and that all people are worthy of redemption and grace There I discovered that in order to get new folks into church you have to be their friend first, they have to see the light in you and taste the salt. The salt is Christ and living a life lead by his example, service and sacrifice. To pounce on guests the minute that they come through the door doesn’t work. Conversely it is also a failing to invite folks into membership, give them a spiritual inventory and then ignore it.

My prayer is that my church finds its way. I do think it will be a most difficult and arduous path for them. That church is so caught up in declining attendance and membership that they seem panicked. It’s sad really, the pastor is a most gifted preacher but the messages that she deliver seem to get skewed by frantic attempts to raise money and encourage people into the church.

My church's light does seem to be hidden beneath baskets or bowls, so many there tend to guard their turf with an uncommon zeal. I knew early on that I was aware that something was amiss; I’d sit in my pew and feel completely disconnected from the service and members. I fought for a while but now I’m certain that I’ve moved on. I moved on to rediscover my salt and my light hoping that it won’t flicker out, I trust that God will lead me to the right place and all will be well.

1 John 4:16 Rely on the love God has for us

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16

Whoever lives in love lives in God, what a soothing and peaceful thought; and how difficult it is to abide by this each and everyday. Daily I find myself tested with the easy fall back to anger and hateful thinking. I have to remind myself that I don’t hate; but that I also don’t have to like other’s ways or behaviors. By allowing hateful thinking into my mind I am acting and thinking contrary to God and all of the wonderful things that God does in my life minute to minute and day to day. When anger colors our thinking it becomes the focus of our thinking and all that we are.

I like the beginning of this verse too; and so we know and rely on the love God has for us. The word “know” is the most telling word in this verse to me. To know God means that intentional and useful time must be spent getting to God. Here is where I also have a good deal of difficulty. You see the strains of daily modern life take me away from learning and knowing about God. Do I read my Bible as much as I’d like to or should? No. Do I pray as much as I’d like to or should? No. When I look at the world do I see a living God in everything and all people all of the time. No. So, I fall very short in my faith. Maybe this is what all of the evangelists have been preaching about for as long as time.

How interesting that at forty three years old I’m really now starting to think about all of this on a deeper more intimate level. Perhaps it is age and life events that are bringing me here. Perhaps it is the fact that I lost a partner and have never fully recovered from that. I have also seen untold blessings in life’s most difficult events. Perhaps it is that I now have a much wider and more diverse network of friends, acquaintances and associates that experience so many vast and different tests daily that mine sometimes seem very petty and silly.

I love finding God in my rule of three. Rule one is think of God first whenever acting. Rule two is think of others second when acting and rule three is think of self. By following those precepts it is so easy to stay close to God and God's blessings. Yes, life is a challenge, especially modern life, but I think if I rely on the love that God has for me, then it all will be ok in the end.

Anger and the rule of three

Ecclesiastes 7:9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

What a fantastic and timely verse for me. The last three weeks, nay three years have truly tested my patience and my control. Thankfully there are many sages around me who have reminded me nicely to step back and think before acting, talking or typing; which I have learned to do. It is easy to become agitated when one close to you forces you to rip apart a business that one has poured your blood, sweat and tears into. Of course it is also easy to get a little terse when a confidant becomes a maker of mountains out of mice nuts.

So truly, anger does reside in the lap of fools. A fool is one who is quick to respond to provocation especially when that kind of action is contrary to core philosophies. My core philosophies happen to center on taking care of others first. I try to practice the law of three; which in my mind means God first, others second and self third. The law of three is most difficult when confronted by an irrational, angry and fundamentally damaged person.

With this in mind, my meditation for the week will be this verse from Ecclesiastes, it is timeless and true and worth living by. I knew when this change in my business came that I’d be the one that would have to figure out how it would happen. What I didn’t count on was the fact that every time I make a move thwarting road blocks are thrown up; which is a true test of patience. I’m in a constant quandary as to how to move or act because everything that I do is construed at intentional, when in fact none of it is.

So in dealing with all of this I look to the Psalm; Be still and know that I am God. That helps.

Cast your burden on the Lord

Psalm 55 verse 22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

A dear friend who I love is in the throws of watching her granddaughter die of cancer. A mere child of nine, who hasn’t lived a long life but perhaps, has lived a full life by those who she has touched. I’ve never met this little girl in person, but through stories from her grandmother and writings by her mother I feel as if I’ve come to know her. I certainly feel like I better know my friend and her daughter. I certainly feel that my love for these people has deepened too.

The fullness of one’s life cannot be measured in years or time because quality is not temporal. To say that this little girl has been denied a long life is true, to say that her family has been denied is also true. This whole circumstance is wrong, un-natural and completely unfair. It is indeed a test of faith and leaves those of us at the periphery feeling at a loss as to what to say and when to say it. The phone lines and email circuits sizzle, when a crisis comes, with questions of what to do.

My counsel is to stand firm with this family; as the body of Christ and the living God we are called to comfort this family and let them cast some of their burden upon us. Some of us are naturally fearful that when we ask how things are; those questions will bring tears. We are trained as a society that causing another to cry is a bad thing; to that I say no it is the opposite. This family is hurting; they are holding it in when near one another and this little girl. They need friends and the body of Christ to lean on and cry out to. This makes them strong to face what they need to and to carry on in a busy and stressful time.

It is our task to take some of the burden from this family and lift them up in prayer because it is easy when facing crisis day in and out to forget to consciously pray. There are those times of unconscious prayer that happen routinely but I’m not sure those prayers comfort as much. Our prayers for this family embolden us to say to them that we love them, care for them, stand with them and in turn let them do the same for one another.

So, a little girl, whom I’ve never met, who is being tested beyond belief while I stand on the periphery has taught many immense lessons of love, support and understanding. In conscious prayer I lift her family up and in thought and deed I keep her and her family in my focus remembering to reach out to them so that they might be strong enough to face whatever is coming. To that end, have I lost hope; no. There is always hope because there is always God and in the end…something better.